Matchmaking: Shadowcat and Colossus
by Black-Rose23
Summary: When Kitty tells her ex she and Piotr are dating, things get out of hand. Rogue and Scott wouldn't have it any other way. Part 2 in the Matchmaking Series!
1. Planning

Matchmaking: Shadowcat and Colossus

Summary: Rogue and Scott devise a plan to get Kitty and Piotr together, naturally Amara, John, Remy, and Jean must join in as well. Part 2 in the _Matchmaking_ Series!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything in X-men

Warning: AU, OOC, language

Pairing: Kiotr, Romy, Jott, Amyro, slight Lancitty

Well, you all asked for it, so here's the second part to my new, and first, series! Two months have passed since _M: C&P._

**Chapter 1**

"It's pathetic."

"It's sweet."

"It's sickening."

"It's adorable."

"It's takin' too damn long!"

This last exclamation came from Rogue, interrupting the banter between Scott, John, Jean, and Amara. Naturally, the girls thought Piotr and Kitty's timid flirtation was cute, but the guys had other ideas. John made gagging motions, causing Amara to glare threateningly at him, prompting him to smile innocently and make kissing gestures at her. She smiled and blushed, never able to stay mad at him for long.

The four nodded in agreement. There was no fault they could find in Rogue's proclamation. Once again, this month-old argument had found common ground.

Five months passed since Jean and Scott started dating, leaving Remy the sole bearer of Rogue's attention. It was a burden he really didn't mind. Piotr showed up shortly after their three month anniversary, and Kitty soon had her own not-so-private crush. It hadn't been too bad though, until recently when she and Lance broke up. Apparently, she wasn't the bad girl he so desired her to be, and he didn't think their relationship would last much longer. They were too different.

Afterwards, Piotr was the one to comfort her. The Russian was quiet and peaceful, despite his intimidating appearance, and he often offered his shoulder to cry on. In the month he'd existed at the mansion, every student loved him – especially the girls in a big brother way.

Since then, Kitty's crush had become almost unbearable. Rather or not Piotr realized her feelings was unknown, even to Jean's psychic abilities. Of course, she refused to read someone's mind without a worthy enough reason, and as of now this didn't qualify. Whenever she flirted, he would blush and smile, say something to make her laugh, and promptly return to his painting. It had Rogue convinced he felt the same, and Scott's mind was quickly following the same path – though only the girls commented on the cuteness of it all.

"We should do something about them," Scott said finally.

The silence had stretched on long enough, and he really was irritated with the way they continued to evade each other. Was this how he and Jean acted? God bless Rogue's soul if it was, because she'd been patient and put up with it for a long time. Far too long in Remy's opinion. He still believed Rogue should've forgotten Scott and paid some much needed attention to him for those few months she tried getting him and Jean together.

While Remy was over his initial jealousy, Rogue and Scott formed something of a bond those few months. Similarities in powers pushed them to share more than they normally did. Of course, Remy and Jean were also privy to the secrets shared with each other, but that didn't mean they liked it all that much. Both significant others were quite upset by the strong bond their loves shared, much to the amusement of the others who were not used to seeing Jean jealous and always found Remy's jealousy a funny sight.

"Just what Ah was thinkin', sugah!" Rogue exclaimed happily. She eagerly pulled Scott from his seat, knocking Jean to the floor in the process as she'd been comfortably seated in his lap. The redhead glared, but blinked when she realized Rogue was already gone with Scott.

Amara and John shared a half amused, half baffled look and shrugged. Rogue knew what she was doing, and her ideas always brought some form of fun to them. Surely, this would be no different. Grinning in anticipation now, the two pyros set off in search of something to burn while Rogue and Scott planned. Jean watched them go warily, until she was satisfied they weren't headed for her room or new car – barely used since she always rode with Scott. Then, she went to wait for Scott's return in Kitty's room. Maybe they could talk about the latest gossip.

&&&&&&

"Alright, so what'd you have in mind?" Scott asked when they were safely in his room. They always went to his room, since Remy was quite adamant on being the only man – besides Kurt and Logan – allowed into Rogue's room. She acted annoyed with the controlling act, but anyone could see she was flattered he cared so much for her. Besides, it wasn't like he'd get upset if she did take another man to her room, so long as nothing happened. He'd just pout a lot.

"Well," Rogue rubbed her hands together with a shark-like grin. "Ah was thinkin' it's about time fo' anothah matchmakin' session. Whatd'ya think?"

"Hm…" Scott feigned pondering over the decision. Then, a similar smile spread across his own lips. "I like it! Always wanted to play matchmaker, since you seemed to have so much fun getting Jean and I together."

Rogue rolled her eyes. "It wasn't all _that_ fun," she grumbled. "Ya'll took fo'evah t' open yo' eyes!"

"I know," Scott smiled apologetically. "We're together now though, and that's what counts."

"Right!" Rogue said proudly. "Now, Ah think we should start with somethin' small. Makin' Piotr see Kitty as more than an annoyin' valley girl should be a good start."

"Uh, Rogue?" Scott started unsurely. When she glanced at him, slightly distracted, he began his worries. He knew this was the best he'd get when she started thinking on one of her (self-proclaimed) great ideas. "We really don't know if Piotr thinks of her as an annoying valley girl. That's just you…and Remy…and John, Amara, and myself…and Bobby…and…Well, you get the idea!"

Rogue nodded lazily. "Right, right ya are sug. This is why we _must_ make him see she's more than an annoyin' valley girl!"

Scott rolled his eyes. It figured Rogue would hear nothing of what he said. She rarely did when it contradicted one of her ideas, unless it would somehow promote her plan further on. Shaking his head amusedly, he decided to let the matter rest for now. In truth, he wouldn't mind a little personality makeover on Kitty. Nice as she was, she could be annoying with her constantly upbeat attitude and surprisingly intact childish naivety.

"If you say so," he agreed. And the two began to plot.

&&&&&&

Kitty moaned into her pillow. The sound low and mournful, as though she'd just been told her favorite pet died after a rather horrible accident. Jean found her friend mumbling reprimands at herself for acting a fool. It took nearly ten minutes to pull her face from the pillow, and she noticed the red rims around Kitty's eyes when she did.

"What's wrong?" Jean asked concerned. Kitty blinked away the remaining tears.

"Haven't you heard?" she asked almost hysterically. "I'm surprised he didn't tell! I was such an idiot! Stupid, stupid, _stupid_ Kitty!"

"Kitty, calm down!" Jean said firmly, grabbing the pillow Kitty had been beating against her head. "Now, tell me what happened, and who hasn't told what."

"Lance," Kitty sighed. "I tried to talk to him today, to see if we could at least remain friends. I mean our relationship kept something of a peace between the X-men and the Brotherhood. He was with Tabitha, and I got jealous, so I started yelling at him. Then, he told me I was dumped and should just get over it. Tabby laughed, she _laughed_ at me like it was the most hilarious thing! To make things worse, it was in our sixth period!"

"Oh," Jean gasped. "I'm so sorry, Kitty. You shouldn't let him get to you though! You can do _much_ better than Lance Alvers!"

"I guess," Kitty shrugged. "Anyway, when I got home Piotr was here, and he saw me first. He asked me what was wrong, and I told him. I freakin' _told_ him! He-he, he thinks I still love Lance! What if he thinks I'm pathetic, or if he doesn't think I'll ever move on? What if he'd liked me and I just made him think he didn't stand a chance!? I was freaked he'd tell everyone I was lame."

Kitty's voice steadily rose until it was a great shriek. Jean cringed from the sound, but placed a comforting hand on the younger girl's shoulder nonetheless. At least Kitty wasn't afraid to admit how she felt for Piotr, though if he really felt the same way for her was still a mystery to everyone.

"Relax Kitty; I'm sure Piotr won't tell anyone you're lame. I doubt he thinks that himself. What you need to do right now is calm down."

Kitty sighed and nodded, taking several deep breaths. Slowly, her nerves calmed, as shown by her shoulders relaxing. Jean sighed in relief and took her hand away. Kitty smiled sadly at the redhead, hope glinting in her blue orbs.

"Do you really think he doesn't think I'm lame?"

"I'm sure of it," Jean said honestly. Piotr wasn't the type to think anyone lame, especially not if they were brokenhearted. He was more the kind to cry with them, or offer soothing words and helpful advice.

"Good." Kitty nodded once. "So, where's Scott?"

Jean smiled secretively. Somehow, she didn't think she should tell Kitty he and Rogue planned to play matchmaker just yet. She wondered what interesting ideas the southerner had come up with, and she only hoped Scott managed to talk her out of the craziest of them. If he hadn't though, surely Remy would. He'd managed to talk her out of some of her crazier ideas for her and Scott, right?

_Oh goddess_, Jean thought, _they don't stand a chance!_


	2. The Sound of Art

**Chapter 2**

Kitty stared boredly out the window. While incredibly smart for one her age, she never much cared for science. Currently, she was in Biology – the honors course naturally – and was bored out of her mind. The teacher did nothing but ramble on in a monotonous tone about the wonders of phospholipids and molecular structures. For some reason, these seemed to be Mr. Britine's favorites.

"And the…" he continued on about bonds and the like, boring Kitty even more. Tuning him out yet again, she turned her attention back to the outdoors. It was so beautiful out there, a day worthy to be painted. She imagined Piotr was outside right now, painting the landscape of the mansion grounds.

"Kitty!" a low voice hissed close to her ear. Kitty jumped and turned to face a smiling blond.

"What?" she whispered, looking frantically at the teacher. Had she been asked a question? Apparently not, for he was now waving his arms dramatically – a complete contrast to his monotone – and rambling on about the wonders of dehydration synthesis. _Boooring_!

"You were drooling," Doug Ramsey whispered. She blushed darkly and swiped at the side of her mouth. Sure enough, a small glob of saliva came with her palm. She grimaced in disgust and wiped it on the side of her fashionable jeans.

"Thanks for telling me," she said quietly. Her gaze looked towards Mr. Bristine, but he still wasn't paying much attention to anything other than his beloved molecules and whatnot. "That would've been totally embarrassing!"

Doug smiled easily and shrugged, sitting back in his seat. His blond hair flopped in his pretty boy face. Many mistook him for a simpleminded jock when really he was the exact opposite. Actually, he only came second to her keen intelligence, and he didn't like sports in the least. Unless you counted fixing computers or playing chess a sport.

At one time, Kitty had a crush on him. She quickly moved on after spotting him with a nice boy named Ricky Spratley in her third period Literature Honors class. It took her a while to get over the fact that Doug was homosexual, but when she accepted it their friendship resumed its strong bond.

Kitty sighed gratefully when the bell rang. Mr. Bristine blinked a few times, surprised at how quickly time had flown. His distracted gaze cleared, and he noticed a few students lifting their heads from the desks. Deciding not to dwell on the fact that his students didn't find this wondrous subject as interesting as he did, and in fact were sleeping through his lectures rather than taking attentive notes, he dismissed the class and settled down for his next period.

The students filed out, nearly trampling each other in an attempt to leave the cold classroom. Kitty almost cheered when she was out of the room, but settled on another relieved sigh instead. Doug said his goodbyes and headed towards the other end of the hall. He had Calculus this period, choosing that instead of Trigonometry, and Kitty had regular art.

She wasn't the most artistic person, but she wanted to take the subject to impress Piotr. Switching out of Home Economics so late in the year surprisingly wasn't hard. What Kitty didn't know was word of her atrocious cooking abilities had traveled through the school. Mrs. Goldstein was more than happy to see her go.

Art wasn't the most challenging subject Kitty ever took, but she enjoyed it well enough. Plus, each lesson helped her understand what Piotr found so amazing about a blank canvas and an easel. She wished Rogue was in her class, as the older woman loved art just as much as the Russian did. However, even if she were still in high school, Rogue would've obviously been in an advanced lesson rather than regular.

"All right ev'ryone," Madame Delacroix said in her thick French accent. "Take out your easels and let us begin our newest work."

The class followed suit eagerly, anxious to see what the sophisticated, yet wild teacher would have them do next. She was big on impressionists and the like, and loved to teach about Van Gogh, Monet, and anyone else that didn't follow the traditionalist paintings of so long ago. Not that she didn't like some of those artworks either. Art was art in her opinion, and it was always something beautiful.

Kitty hoped to be like Madame Delacroix one day. She reminded the girl strongly of Piotr, had he been a fifty-year-old woman from France. They shared the same ideals about art, and whenever Piotr talked of art, it was usually similar to something Kitty had heard her teacher say at one time or another. Both spoke passionately at the subject, prompting Kitty and the others to get heavily into their work. This class always flew by.

&&&&&&

The sun hung brightly in the sky, illuminating the grounds in a soft light. From this point, there were no glares on the land to disturb the painting. A sense of tranquility not usually found around the boisterous mansion hung thickly, calming those still present. Out here, at this time, painting was always best.

Piotr and Rogue sat side by side, portable easels by either's side. On Rogue's canvas lied a variety of dark colors forming the mansion's ground. A sense of foreboding combined with mysterious intrigue made a casual observer desire to see if these lands were as intimidating as they appeared. The thick, but fast strokes made a windy look appear on her paper.

Piotr's canvas was layered with light colors. It made the casual observer wish to visit simply for the happy effect it brought. Reminders of warm, spring days spent picking flowers, or summer camping trips came to mind with his brightly and much used colors. The simple sense of happiness and joy brought one's imagination to these very lands where mutants ran free and safe from the outside world.

Truly amazing how different colors could make the same picture appear so amazingly different. If they didn't know any better, Rogue and Piotr would say their pictures were of two different places with the same objects lying around in various places. A few daisies and roses here, a bright red and lavender for Piotr, and a crimson and royal purple for Rogue.

Art, a classical subject that would never bore either mutant for as long as they lived. If only others could see how wonderful a paintbrush and paints were, rather than those silly games of who could scream loudest or how much destruction they could cause with their powers. Even Jean, the mansion's proclaimed perfect mutant (she took the title with much ire), didn't understand what was truly wonderful about putting paint on a canvas.

Rogue wished Kitty weren't taking art merely to impress Piotr, but at least the younger girl seemed to be getting a better understanding for Rogue and Piotr's passion. It was a start, and it meant she wasn't trying to feed those atrocious muffins of hers to everyone. Small miracles really were the best, Rogue supposed.

"Ah love this time o' day," Rogue muttered more to herself. Piotr hummed in agreement.

"Quiet is hard to find here, da?"

"You said it, sugah." Rogue nodded in agreement. Turning her emerald gaze questioningly to Piotr, she smiled innocently. "Hey, Pete?"

"Hm?" he glanced at Rogue from the corner of his eye. Noticing the innocent smile on her face, he immediately went on alert. "Yes, Rogue?"

"Ah was just wonderin'…how d'ya feel 'bout our li'l Kitty?"

"Kitty?" Piotr blinked. "I wasn't aware we had a cat."

Rogue rolled her eyes. A sweet man, really, but sometimes he was too naïve for his own good. Maybe he and Kitty really _were_ meant for each other.

"We don't, Ah meant th' girl."

"Oh!" Piotr blushed at his mistake. Sometimes, he forgot he lived in a manor full of people now. When one grew up on a farm, they often thought of animals before humans. "Katya is nice, very nice indeed."

His blush darkened when he said these words. Rogue knew he meant them innocently, but she smirked all the same. Piotr was nice and even more easily embarrassed than Scott. She had no plans to pick on him, – much – but that didn't mean her mind couldn't supply a few choice words to say to that. Kitty was _very_ _nice_ huh?

"Yeah," she said instead. "She's a nice gal, really, but how d'ya _feel_ about her?"

"I am not sure I understand," Piotr mumbled, turning back to his canvas. The dark blush on his cheeks told her otherwise and his eyes constantly flicking towards her only added on. She smiled again.

"Suuure ya don't," she said. Piotr lowered his eyes back to the canvas, slightly disappointed to find his picture had just about all it could take. More colors would ruin the effect he was going for. Rogue, it seemed, was also finished with this particular painting.

"Rogue!" Remy's voice shouted before she could interrogate Piotr even more. He sighed in relief, not unnoticed by Rogue, and silently thanked Remy for his good timing.

Rogue turned to glare at the Cajun, feeling heat in her lower regions when she saw he wasn't wearing a shirt. Her eyes narrowed dangerously all the same. She hated when he interrupted her teasing/questioning sessions. He either didn't notice or didn't care about her glare because he kept walking and enveloped her in a tight hug.

Whispering something in her ear, Rogue blushed – a rare occurrence – and smiled apologetically at Piotr. She already knew he wouldn't care if she left, he'd probably be happy for it, but she still felt badly about leaving him so suddenly. The Russian was a good guy and an excellent partner in art.

"Sorry sug, Remy's plannin' on takin' meh somewhere."

"It is alright," Piotr reassured as he packed up his art supplies. "I will take your things."

"Thanks Petey!" Rogue said, waving as she ran towards the mansion. Remy smirked and winked at Piotr, then hurried after his _fille_. No way in hell would he miss a chance to watch her get dressed!

Piotr and Rogue had been given a special room for their art supplies, so usually they walked there together. Their conversations generally focused around famous painters: Picasso, Van Gogh, Monet, Degas, Pissaro, Renoir, Boudin, and many others from various countries. Sometimes though, Rogue would talk about her relationship with Remy, or they would chat about the other students at the mansion. A few times their conversation even centered on Piotr's little sister Illyana.

He enjoyed the conversations, though not nearly as much as he enjoyed talking to Kitty. There was something about the younger girl that made his heart speed up in a way it never did before. He remembered his father telling him of how he felt when he first met Piotr's mother. He, unlike most boys his age, looked forward to the day he would fall in love, and he thought he had when he met Laynia.

She left him in the end though, claiming to have better plans than be the wife of a farm boy. Never again, he'd sworn to himself, would he allow love to come between him and his dreams. Now, living at the mansion, he realized when he saw Kitty that even Laynia hadn't made him feel this way. If he were honest, he would admit to having deep feelings for the girl, but he was too scared to try anything.

For one, she was much younger than him. Four years to be exact, and at the moment it was illegal for them to be more than close friends. She would soon be sixteen, and he was nineteen-going-on-twenty. Of course, when she didn't act like the world was going to end because she couldn't find her favorite pink sweater, she acted much older than her years. Sometimes, he forgot she was only a child, which made things harder.

Kitty had enough love problems with Lance though. Piotr wanted nothing more than to punch Lance's face in for the way he treated Katya. She was a special girl that could do so much better than either of them. Piotr knew she felt something for him, but he pretended not to notice. He didn't want to rush her into a relationship when she so obviously wasn't over Lance just yet, and – he could admit, if only to himself – he was scared. Scared that she would be like Laynia, someone he'd gladly give everything he worked so hard for up and then dump him in the end.

Silly perhaps, but it was a fear that would not leave him. How could he trust another woman after what his first love did? Was it love, he wondered sometimes. She left him so easily, without so much as a flinch at his tears, and yet he quickly moved on from her. Shaking his head to dispel those thoughts, he reminded himself that it _was_ more than a deep infatuation, and he couldn't be with Kitty for a number of reasons.

Grabbing Rogue's things under one arm and his under the other, he started for the "Art Room". Perhaps Ororo would like some help in her gardens. He enjoyed working with the flowers, and if her schedule proved consistent – as it always did – she would be heading out here soon.

Birds chirped under the sunlight, singing their lovely song to the sky. For a while, the grounds were quiet, but soon enough the children would come home and begin their noise. Piotr may never admit it, but he liked the noise. It reminded him of home, and it meant Kitty would be around too. Soon enough.

A/N: Doug Ramsey is the same guy as in the comics, but this Doug is **_NOT_** based completely on the comics. And also, he is NOT a major part of the story. Just so you all know.


	3. Snagged Already

People have been asking, and yes there will be Romy in this! Jott and Amyro will also play parts in the coming together of Kitty and Piotr. However, they might not _truly_ show themselves for a while yet. I have to get things set up first since, unlike Scott Piotr isn't actually new to the mansion. Some background has to be added, but ya'll know that and understand right?

**Chapter 3**

_Don't let it get to you, _Kitty warned herself mentally. Her blue gaze traveled away from the laughing couple and instead settled on Jean and Scott. In just a few months they would be graduating, an event they awaited eagerly. _Lucky them. They get out of this dump while I'm stuck here for another two-and-a-half years!_

Being a freshman sucked, as Kitty knew all too well. Not invited to nearly as many parties as the upperclassman, and even most sophomores were, and she just happened to be a _smart_ freshman. Some might think that would get her in good with the older students since she had many of their classes, but it just made her more of a geek than normal freshman were.

Of course, things weren't nearly as bad as they had been in Illinois. At least she had friends here, and she wasn't pushed into lockers or anything. In fact, most of the time she was left alone. The Brotherhood was the worst, and while she and Lance dated they mostly kept to themselves. They still didn't bother her as much, but sometimes they would laugh and rub the breakup in her face – especially Pietro, whom was the most against their relationship to start with.

Kitty thought it was stupid he hated her relationship with Lance. She might've understood his ire, but it was obvious to everyone that he _liked_ Evan. Well, Evan didn't realize it, but he didn't notice much anyway. Sure, Pietro dated a lot of girls, but what guy cared _that_ much for their clothing and hair? Even Scott didn't care nearly as much what he threw on in the mornings as Pietro quite obviously did.

Lance's loud laughter brought Kitty's attention back to the couple. Tabitha sat on his lap, making hand motions as she talked. She must've said something funny because the other guys laughed as well. Kitty wondered what they were talking about, but she quickly shoved that thought to the farthest recesses of her mind. What did she care? She had her own friends to hang out with!

"Kitty, are you okay?" Jean asked, looking at her concernedly. She nodded and smiled, albeit forcefully, at the redhead. Jean didn't look convinced, but she knew the younger girl enough to know when _not_ to push. Sometimes she thought Kitty hung out with Rogue too much with the way she acted when angered.

Scott raised a single eyebrow, glanced in Lance's direction, and looked back at the valley girl. If he hadn't been wearing glasses, his eyes would've sparkled with hope. Kitty shook her head. The X-men knew him well enough now to know when and what question he might be asking with his eyes. He wanted to know if she wanted him to beat up Lance, and he was obviously hopeful she'd say yes.

Sitting back disappointedly, he once again wrapped his arm over Jean's shoulders. Getting back to the conversation at hand, Kurt said something and the X-men burst into laughter too. Kitty noticed Lance look in their direction from the corner of her eye, and she quickly joined in the laughter. Playfully punching Kurt's shoulder, she felt a wave of satisfaction when she noticed Lance's jealous glare.

Served him right, she thought harshly. The way he treated her, and after all she'd done for him! In the beginning stages of their relationship, the X-men very nearly disowned her out of dissatisfaction. It was a warning from the professor and Rogue that made them realize what jerks they were being. They still didn't like the relationship, but Lance's decision to breakup with her only made them angrier. If anyone should've done the breaking up, it was Kitty!

Tabitha never acted like she cared either way, but Kitty thought she saw a few angry glances in her direction from the blonde. Back then she considered them tricks of the light or her own imagination, but now she knew differently. Tabby probably planned to steal Lance away from her all along!

_C'mon Kitty, keep it together. _She warned herself. _It just wasn't meant to be, that's all! Besides, what about Piotr?_

"_What about Piotr?"_

"Ah!" Kitty jumped. The X-men glanced curiously at her, and she glared at Jean. "Warn me next time you go reading my mind!" she shouted outraged. Since when did Jean just go picking through people's minds anyway?

"I wasn't picking through your mind!" Jean protested. "You're thinking loud enough for every telepath on this side of Bayville to hear you."

"Oh," Kitty blushed. She lowered her head and quickly dug into her veggie sandwich.

"_So, what about Piotr?" _Jean asked mentally. Her green eyes sparkled with curiosity, even as she nodded along with whatever Scott said.

"_What do you mean?" _Kitty just barely managed to keep from speaking aloud. Even after all this time, speaking telepathically to Jean or the professor gave her the creeps. It was just so weird!

"_You know what I mean. You said – well, thought – 'what about Piotr'. So, what about him?"_

"_Nothing!" _Kittythought quickly. "Um… I have to go," she said hurriedly before Jean could reach in her mind for the answers. A blush staining her cheeks, she hurried away from the confused adolescents.

"What's with her?" Scott asked when she was out of sight.

"_I think we'll have to help Kitty get over Lance completely before we set anyone up."_

Even as Jean thought this to Scott, she shook her head in confusion. It would be best if the others didn't know what was wrong with her just yet. They hated Lance enough since he broke her heart, but to tell them Kitty still hurt would only add fuel to the fire. So not a good idea.

&&&&&&

Remy grinned as Rogue chuckled lightly. The thin strap of her emerald camisole slid down her shoulder with a little help from his fingers. His mouth quickly found the spot on her neck that he knew tickled and aroused her at the same time. There was nothing better than a laughing, aroused Rogue – well, maybe an angry, aroused Rogue.

Just as he reached down to unbutton her jeans, the door to their bedroom swung open. Rogue and Remy looked up quickly, only to see Scott standing in the doorway and looking quite upset. Remy wanted to tell him to leave, but his Roguey had already pushed him away and sat up, pulling the strap of her shirt back onto her shoulder – not that it covered much.

"Sugah, what's wrong?" Rogue asked worriedly. Had something happened at school?

Scott shook his head, silent for several moments. Finally, he managed to speak.

"Our plans have hit a snag."

"Already!?" Rogue exclaimed loudly. Gambit frowned, baffled for only a moment before remembering the matchmaking plan they'd come up with. "We haven't even started anythin' yet!"

"I know," Scott said solemnly. "I need to talk to you. Privately."

"Hey now," Remy started to protest, "can' dis wait a whi—" he was cut off by Scott stalking into the room, taking Rogue's wrist, and pulling her out with him. "Gambit changed his mind, he don' like Scooter anymore."

"Whoa, honey, calm down!" Rogue chided as Scott finally came to a stop at his bedroom door. He swung the door open and pushed Rogue in before following her. "If ya wanted t' get meh alone, ya coulda just asked."

Scott smiled lightly before turning serious again. Rogue's amused expression followed suit. If their plans already had an obstacle to overcome, this might prove harder than she thought.

"So, what's this snag, sug?"

"Kitty isn't over Lance yet."

"Excuse meh?"

"Kitty. Isn't. Over. Lance. Yet." Scott repeated each word slowly, but Rogue paid no heed to the tone. She was too caught up in not believing her ears.

"B-but Petey! She an' him are gettin' along great, ain't they?"

"Yeah," Scott nodded. "According to Jean, though, they had a little mental conversation at lunch. Kitty's still hung up on Lance."

Rogue sighed and rubbed her throbbing temples. The headache was coming on fast, and she looked at Scott helplessly. They hadn't even begun their make-Kitty-more-mature plan yet, and already this sneaked itself in the way! Really, she was getting too old for this sort of nonsense!

"Fine," she finally said, "our first objective is t' get Kitty ovah her ex."

"Right," Scott muttered in agreement. "Any ideas how to do that?"

"Not a one," Rogue smiled sheepishly. Scott raised a single eyebrow. "What? Ah was th' one that broke up with all mah exes!"

"Riiight," Scott drawled out similar to what Rogue did at times. She glared at him but didn't comment on the sarcastic tone. His insolence wasn't the problem right now, it was Kitty and Lance. They'd have to abate the situation before it ruined any chance of a real relationship happening.

"We'll need Jean," Rogue said suddenly. "A gal's night out might be just what we need t' talk some sense int' Kitty! Maybe if she hangs with us fo' a night, she'll realize there're bettah fish in th' sea!"

Scott could feel a headache of his own coming on. His brow arched further, shrinking into his hairline. Was she serious? The contemplative frown on her face told him yes, and his other brow soon followed the first in disbelief.

"Rogue, you think a night with _you_ will make her 'see the light'?"

"Sure!" Rogue smiled proudly. Her smile slowly faded, and she glared suspiciously at Scott. "Why? You don't think so?"

"Well…" Scott tried to think of a way to explain himself. When he could come up with nothing, he decided to just be honest. "Yeah."

"What's wrong with meh!?" Rogue asked, outraged that he'd think she couldn't help a friend.

"Nothing's wrong with you, Rogue," Scott reassured quickly. He held his hands up in a placating manner. "It's just…Well, if you go along, you'll most likely start talking about how you got all the guys to come crawling back to you."

"What's ya point, sugah?" Rogue raised a single brow. She didn't see what was so wrong with that. It was the truth! They had all come crawling back to her!

"Don't you think that might give Kitty ideas?" Scott continued, trying to make her see his way of thinking.

"Ain't that what we want?" Rogue reminded more than asked. Scott nodded.

"Yeah, ideas about Piotr! I mean it will give her ideas on ways to get Lance back. A new determination that'll ruin all we're working for!"

Rogue started to object, but she closed her mouth as his words rolled around in her mind. Scott was right. If she gave Kitty ideas on how to get her ex back, their plan would be a waste and Piotr and Kitty would never be a couple. There was something just wrong with that thought. She nodded finally, conceding defeat.

"Then how d'ya suggest we get them t'gethah?"

"Well," Scott said with a mischievous grin, "I was thinking maybe we show her how much better Piotr is than Lance."

"An' how d' we do that?"

"We're gonna need a little help," Scott told her, grinning. He whispered his plan into her ear, and slowly Rogue also began to smile.

"Scott, you _are_ a genius!"

"I know."


	4. Flirtatious Waitresses

**Chapter 4**

Kitty smiled nervously at Piotr. Rogue had asked her to accompany herself and Remy to "Rosario's". Mexican wasn't a particular favorite of the phaser's, but she had it so rarely that she actually missed tasting it quite a bit. So, naturally, she agreed. Of course, she could admit – if only to herself – that a certain Russian being her date (Rogue said it was a double date) had something to do with it too.

Now, they were at the restaurant, waiting for Rogue and Remy to show up. The two told them to go on ahead, and gave directions on how to get there. Apparently, Remy's bike was having trouble, and Rogue wasn't so sure she wanted to take her own. It had rained the previous day, and she didn't want the green Harley to get dirty. Why they didn't just take her convertible was beyond Kitty, but who ever knew with those southerners?

"I wonder where they are," Kitty said thoughtfully. Piotr had been silent since they arrived, his blue gaze focused solely on the artworks around the walls. Kitty didn't quite see what was so special about them, but Piotr apparently found them captivating.

"Hm, perhaps you should call them, da?" he asked, his accent thick. He looked at her with a small smile, a pink tinge coloring his cheeks.

"Maybe…" Kitty said slowly. In all honesty, she didn't want to call them and ask them what was up. For one, she feared the answer, and for two she liked spending this time alone with Piotr. Even if he didn't talk much, the other mutant was soothing to be around.

She started to grab for her cell phone when the door to the restaurant jingled. She looked up, fully expecting to see Rogue and Remy walking towards them. If they were flushed and their hair wasn't as perfect as it usually was, she really wouldn't be surprised. However, it wasn't Rogue and Remy that entered at all. It wasn't Jean and Scott either, though they too frequented this place. Kitty felt her heart stop when she saw the couple, and ducked her head when dark brown eyes landed on her.

&&&&&&

Lance wasn't sure why Summers had a sudden burst of stupidity, but for some reason he managed to piss Grey off and she refused to go out with him. As luck would have it, he and Tabitha had just been walking down the hall at that time and caught wind of the argument. Jean, seeing them, stalked over to them and thrust two coupons into Tabitha's hand, telling _her_ to enjoy them.

Scott followed Jean like a kicked puppy, shouting apologies at her retreating back. Tabitha and he watched them leave before looking down at the coupons for free burritos at "Rosario's". He'd never been there, but Tabitha said she loved it when she went with Rogue and Amara. So, he agreed to take her there that night, as the tickets would expire after midnight.

Now, they arrived and he felt eyes on him. He looked in the direction of whomever, and gaped when he saw Kitty smiling sweetly at the Russian guy who'd joined the institute. He felt jealousy run through his veins, and only when Tabitha spoke again did he remember he _couldn't_ beat the other guy up. Kitty wasn't his woman anymore, Tabitha was! He refused to admit, even to himself, that he probably wouldn't be able to do much harm to Colossus anyway.

"Isn't this place the bomb!?" Tabitha said loudly, earning a few glares from the customers. She ignored them, however, and all but danced to a booth. "I can't believe our luck! Can you, baby?"

"…"

"Lance?" Tabitha looked at the brown-haired teen, and noticed his attention was elsewhere. Looking in the direction he was, she gasped when she saw innocent little Kitty cat and the muscle man Colossus sitting in another booth. They seemed to be discussing something important because they were leaning close and whispering to each other. Their expressions were anything but solemn though, which could only mean one thing. Kitty was on a date!

"Lance!" Tabitha shouted angrily. She couldn't believe her boyfriend would stare at his ex when she _finally_ moved on.

Lance jumped at the sound of Tabitha's screeching and turned sheepishly to his girlfriend. The blonde smiled when she realized she had his full attention and pointed towards the other side of the booth. Lance slid into his seat, smiling nervously at Tabitha. Had she seen his jealous glare? Or did she merely think he was zoning?

"You looked pretty serious there for a minute, Rocky," she said slowly. "Wanna tell me what's up?"

Lance sighed in relief. Leave it to Tabitha not to notice anything. She rarely ever did when she wasn't concerned directly, for which he'd never been so thankful until now. He didn't know what she would do if she thought he was still hung up on Kitty (not that he was), and he really didn't want to find out either. Tabitha could be scarier than Mystique when she wanted to be.

"Nah, it's nothin'," Lance reassured her with a winning smile. He glanced at Kitty, and smirked inwardly when he noticed she was watching him. Good, she could be jealous all she wanted. That's how it should be anyway.

"Hello," a voice said to his left. He looked up, startled to see a gorgeous, Spanish girl around his age – if not a couple of years younger – standing there. She had the usual waitress booklet and smiled charmingly at him. "My name is Eleanor; I'm to be your waitress this evening. What would you like?"

Lance grinned. Oh, he knew what he'd like. He didn't notice Tabitha's angry huff, or that she ordered for them both more forceful than necessary. He was too busy staring at Eleanor's large breasts.

&&&&&&

Kitty watched as the pretty waitress went to Lance's table. He quite obviously liked what he saw because he couldn't stop staring at her chest. Kitty snorted disgustedly. She couldn't believe she ever dated such a jerk! Not that she could really blame him. Eleanor was definitely well endowed, much like Rogue and Jean were. Was it any wonder men liked her so much?

She didn't know the waitress very well, only that she flirted a lot and was good friends with Rogue. That would probably explain the flirtatious attitude she generally had, Kitty thought. Rogue was a notorious flirt; it was amazing that she and Remy didn't have affairs with other people constantly, what with their past reputations. True love, she liked to think, put an end to their old habits though.

Judging by the way Eleanor leaned over, Kitty guessed she didn't mind Lance's attention in the least. She rolled her eyes and actually felt a pang of sympathy for Tabitha, whom sat glaring across from him. Then, she remembered the way her so-called friend laughed at her in front of everyone, and any sympathy she had left in an instant.

"Katya," Piotr called softly. When Kitty looked at him, he smiled concernedly. "Are you alright? You looked pretty serious."

"Oh, yeah!" Kitty smiled sheepishly. "I'm great, sorry! I just…I um…well, you see, I…"

"You are watching Lance, correct?" he stated more than asked knowingly. She blushed and hung her head.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Do not be," he told her firmly. "You were in love, and that is not easy to forget about. I know from experience."

"Really?" Kitty asked surprised. "You never told me you were in love!"

"Oh, yes," Piotr nodded. "Her name was Laynia. I loved her dearly, was willing to give up my dream of being a painter to be with her, but in the end she leave me for another man. She say that she have bigger plans than to be wife of farm boy."

He wasn't aware that his accent thickened or that his rather good English speaking had become broken. It always happened when he got emotional about something. Kitty watched him sadly; unable to believe someone would be so cruel as to say that! She placed her hand on his, a sign of comfort, and he calmed slightly.

"Anyhow, I understand, Katya. Love is a beautiful, but painful thing."

"Yeah," she sighed. "I wish I could have a love like Remy and Rogue's. I mean they can be disgusting, yeah, and I wouldn't want to be so open about my…my… (she blushed darkly) sex life, but you can just _tell_ their in love when they look at each other. Even when they're arguing, you can see it."

Piotr nodded. It was true. Rogue and Remy were in love, and it _was_ rather obvious whenever they shared a look.

"They are lucky," he agreed. "However, I do not fool myself into thinking it was always this way."

"What do you mean?" Kitty asked curiously. The southerners were so close that any thought of unhappiness in their lives before was unheard of.

"They were not together all their lives," Piotr pointed out. "Surely, they have been hurt before."

"Oh," Kitty mumbled softly. She honestly never thought of that. In fact, their closeness usually vanquished any thoughts that they might've had _other_ lovers before. "I never thought of that."

"No one that loves," Piotr said quietly, wisely, "is unscathed."

"You're too smart for your own good," Kitty said with a small grin. "Now, no more of this depressing atmosphere. Hey, speaking of Rogue and Gambit, where _are_ they anyway?"

"Perhaps you should be calling them now," Piotr suggested reluctantly. Kitty nodded and dialed the number to the mansion.

"Hey, Jean! Is Rogue there? Can I speak to her? ………Rogue! Where are you? We're wait…oh…uh huh…yeah…okay, bye."

Piotr watched Kitty closely, noting the slight blush on her cheeks as she hung up. She smiled uneasily at him, flipping down the cell phone and placing it back in her purse.

"Um…Sorry to tell you this, but they won't be making it. Apparently, they got…er…tied up. So, it's just going to be me and you. If you don't mind that is!"

Piotr also blushed when he realized just _how_ they must be "tied up". He didn't mind of course, he liked spending time with Kitty. He thought maybe she liked spending time with him too. He certainly hoped so anyway.

"I do not mind if you do not mind."

"I don't," Kitty reassured him quickly, too quickly. He smiled slightly, and she blushed even darker. Really, they were worse than Jean and Scott!

"Hello," a thick accented voice spoke. They looked up to see Eleanor grinning at them, more specifically at Piotr. "My name is Eleanor, and I'm to be your waitress for this evening. What can I get _you_?"

Her voice melded into a seductive tone as she looked at Piotr. Kitty felt jealousy burn deep within her, but she held it in check and smiled instead. Piotr didn't notice anything out of the ordinary, or at least he didn't seem to, and instead ordered what they'd agreed on. Enchiladas.

Eleanor giggled and asked for drinks, but again Piotr didn't notice anything. Kitty was astounded that he could ignore such blatant flirting, for even she knew that's what Eleanor was doing. He didn't seem in the least affected though, and she found herself feeling both grateful and smug. She ordered her Diet Pepsi with a slightly cocky tone, but blushed when Eleanor only smirked at her.

The young woman turned to the kitchen to get their food ready, and Kitty and Piotr went back to talking. When she reached the kitchen, Eleanor let out the laughter she'd been holding back. That was almost too funny! Though, she could've done without that brown-haired jerk's, what had Rogue said his name was? Lawrence? Larry? Lance? Whatever, staring at her like she was a piece of meat!

Taking out her cell phone, she dialed the familiar number. She grinned when her one of her "employers" picked up.

"Scott, I think things are working out great! She saw Lance drooling over me, and the cute little Russian didn't even notice I'm a woman. This plan might just work out."

When the call ended, she flipped her phone down, stuck it in her smock pocket, and set about getting their food ready. She so loved helping out with relationships, and hopefully these two would realize they were meant for each other sooner than Scott and Jean did. She wasn't sure she had the patience to deal with that drawn out process again! But oh, to be young and in love was truly a beautiful thing.

&&&&&&

Kitty and Piotr entered the mansion quietly. It wasn't past curfew yet, but so much homework had been placed on the students lately that a majority of the mansion went to bed at hours they used to think far too early. No one was around, and Kitty smiled up at Piotr shyly.

"I had a really great time," she said softly. Her eyes lowered to the floor, missing Piotr's matching blush. He looked away as well, studying the wall instead.

"As did I, Katya. Um…we should be doing it again sometime?"

Kitty nodded enthusiastically, then blushed, and mumbled a soft, "Yeah."

Piotr smiled and leaned down, his lips brushing her cheek. He didn't think it would be too bad to do such a gesture. Kitty was a smart girl, and she knew nothing could become of them. She blushed at the action and smiled.

"Well, goodnight, Katya." Piotr said bashfully and quickly headed upstairs. Kitty stayed where she was for a moment, touching her cheek gently.

"Yeah, goodnight, Piotr," she mumbled to herself. Smiling brightly, she hummed "Some Day My Prince Will Come" all the way up to her room.

Scott and Rogue watched the two from their hiding spot. Sharing a triumphant smirk, they high fived each other.

"Told ya it would work," Scott said smugly. Rogue laughed and punched his arm playfully, making sure to keep her strength in tact.

"So ya did," she said amusedly. "Guess you _do_ know what yo' doin' after all."

"Thanks." Scott grinned, heading for his room as Rogue walked towards hers and Remy's. He stopped in front of his door, realizing belatedly there had been a hidden insult in Rogue's words. "Hey!"

It might've been his imagination, but he could've sworn he heard two southerners laughing a few doors down.


	5. Free Ride

**Chapter 5**

Never again, Kitty swore, would she let Rogue pick out her clothes! After their date three nights before, Kitty couldn't stop thinking about Piotr and comparing him to Lance. She saw the brunette flirting with the waitress, or at least eyeing her very inappropriately, yet Piotr hadn't so much as spared her a passing glance. His attention had been fully focused on Kitty, something the young phaser could honestly say Lance had never been able to accomplish when another pretty woman was in the room.

Rogue somehow knew of her inner dilemma, probably from absorbing a telepath, and took it upon herself to redress Kitty more maturely, which in turn would make Piotr notice her more. Or so Rogue said. What Kitty found when she looked in the mirror made her make the aforementioned vow.

Rather than pink and yellow, as were her dominant colors, Rogue dressed her in dark green and black. The black jeans fit snugly against her, snugger than even her usual hip huggers did. The sweater, while not at all bulky yet still warm, looked good with them, Kitty felt it was a little too much for her. Part of her stomach could be seen through, and it proved she didn't have nearly as much chest as Rogue did. Her petite breasts barely poking out.

How would this make Piotr see her as anything more than a stick? She knew he didn't put as much consideration into the human body as he did into the mind or heart, but he was still a man! He would surely notice that the other girls were bigger than she was! Kitty wanted him to notice her for her good qualities, not her barely developed body.

Never before had the young valley girl felt so self conscious, but at the moment she did. The saddest part, perhaps, was that Rogue dressed her in her own clothes. Kitty purchased this very sweater when she was with Lance, and the pants were a pair she'd had for a couple of years but had forgotten about. Needless to say, feeling ugly in her own clothes, Kitty didn't want to leave the room.

Rogue, however, refused to let her stay there. The southerner frowned when Kitty continued to stare at her reflection, looking unsurely between her lightly painted face and tight clothes. She refused to let Kitty wear those pastel colors she was so fond of, and instead placed more natural looking makeup on her face. Not that she wore all that much makeup anyway, but it looked like she was wearing even less today.

She looked fine, in Rogue's opinion, better than ever actually. She just knew Piotr would be speechless when he saw her today, and she hoped that it might make him see the light and take Kitty as his own! Of course, she knew the law all too well, but there was never a rule that said you couldn't _date_ someone younger than eighteen so long as you don't sleep with them. And Rogue knew Piotr would wait until Kitty was ready for that step, even if it took eighty years. He was just that kind of guy.

_Too bad Swamp Rat cain't be like that, _she thought to herself. Flashes of their many times together flashed through her mind, and Rogue smiled slightly. _Then again…_

Shaking those thoughts away, Rogue stood from the bed and grabbed Kitty's arm. The girl looked like she didn't plan on leaving her room anytime soon, so Rogue would naturally have to take matters into her own hands. Kitty struggled against the iron grip, but Rogue didn't budge. She wasn't using super strength, but she certainly wasn't giving Kitty any chance for escape.

Phasing briefly crossed her mind, and she knew there was nothing Rogue could do to stop her. However, deep down, she knew she wanted Piotr to see her like this. As ugly as she looked to herself, she had to admit she did look more mature. In fact, with the natural makeup and darker colors, she looked more like a short seventeen-year-old.

The two "marched" down the stairs to breakfast where most of the mansion had already assembled. Kitty blushed when everyone turned to look at her and Rogue. The older woman smirked at her, winked, and went to the empty spot between Remy and Scott. Immediately, the six (Amara and Pyro sat across from them, and Jean next to Scott) bent their heads and began talking in low murmurs.

"Wow, Kitty," Roberto piped up suddenly, letting out a low whistle, "lookin' good!"

Kitty's blush intensified and she smiled slightly. Walking to her usual seat, she gained several compliments on her attire and who had done her makeup. When she told them Rogue, the southerner was bombarded with many pleas by the other girls to work on theirs as well. She looked at first amused, but eventually annoyance took over her features and the girls let off. No one was brave enough to cross the Rogue.

Piotr smiled and blushed when Kitty settled next to him and began piling fruits onto her plate. Being a vegetarian sometimes made breakfast harder for her, but she always found something good to eat that would keep her fully sustained until lunch. Kitty really did look good, and he was all too aware of just how well she looked. Not that he should be, he had no right. He was only a friend, and she was much too young, but still he had to admit she looked good like Roberto said.

"You really do look nice, Katya," Piotr whispered. Kitty blinked in shock, and blushed as she turned to smile at Piotr. Lowering her eyelids, she gazed at him.

"Thanks," she mumbled shyly. "So do you! I mean you look nice too, Piotr."

And indeed he did. He wore a blue t-shirt, which fit snugly against his muscular frame and a pair of blue jeans with his usual boots. Really, there was nothing special about his attire, similar to what he wore everyday, but he always looked good to Kitty. So, today was no different, except she could comment and not feel like a total idiot.

Piotr blushed. He didn't think he looked all that good. His shirt had paint stains on it in various places, and his jeans were torn at the knees. He planned to paint some more today; the fountains in the garden had been in his dreams, which meant he needed to paint them soon. Whenever something appeared in his dreams like that, he always painted it and found the painting better than he could've imagined.

"Thank you, Katya."

Rogue elbowed Scott, smiling apologetically when he winced. Sometimes she didn't realize just how much strength she put behind her actions until someone was in pain. Tilting her head toward the duo, Scott followed where she'd been looking and grinned in satisfaction at the blushing pair. Had he and Jean blushed that much? He wondered idly, and sincerely hoped they hadn't.

Jean, Amara, John, and Remy also looked at Kitty and Piotr. While Amara and Jean gave mental "aww's", John made choking motions to which Amara elbowed him sharply. He winced and grabbed his side as though in great pain. Rolling her eyes, Amara made her excuses and dragged John off for a little fire-lovin' cure.

Seeing their departure, several of the occupants stood to make their leave. Thanking Storm for the delightful breakfast, they hurried off before anything could happen between either fire manipulator. The professor made sure to soundproof both Magma and Pyro's bedroom – though he didn't really approve of them sharing – and Rogue and Gambit's, but that didn't mean they wanted to be around for when the two came downstairs still caught up in each other.

Rogue and Gambit shared identical smirks and quickly rushed up to their own bedroom. Any remaining residents in the mansion, including instructors and the professor, hastily finished their meal and went off to do their own things. Away from the mansion. Far, far away from the mansion.

Kitty smiled when she saw Piotr polishing his motorcycle. He didn't seem the type to ride a motorcycle, but surprisingly enough he was. He loved it dearly, perhaps the one materialistic thing he allowed himself to treat almost human, and took just as much care of it as he did his paintings. He too had joined Scott, Rogue, Logan, and Remy among the "mechanics" of the mansion and joined in with the discussions over engines and the like.

Unlike Rogue who'd learned mechanics from the boys in her hometown, Scott who learned from mechanics classes and listening to his father describe the differences between planes and cars, Remy who learned from hanging around various mechanic shops when he was younger and homeless still, or Logan who learned from his time in the army (that he remembered), Piotr was self-taught. He had to work on tractors and lawn mowers when he was young, and eventually learned to differentiate between engines and types of oil and anything else a true mechanic knows.

A complete contrast to the sensitive artist he usually was, but a contrast Kitty liked all the same. It showed that he had layers in her opinion, that he wasn't just a "what you see is what you get" man. He was more, so much more, and Kitty very nearly loved him for it.

"Hey Piotr!" she greeted enthusiastically. He turned and smiled at her, nodding his own greeting.

"Katya, did you miss your ride to school?" he asked, noticing the lack of Scott's convertible. The teen left earlier with the other students, claiming he was in a hurry and couldn't wait for anyone. Piotr thought Kitty must've been among the jumble of students clamoring into his car and didn't think much of it.

Kitty huffed when she realized Scott's car was indeed absent and nodded. "Apparently," she answered bitterly. "I can't believe he just left like that! It's, like, so not fair!"

"Now, now, Katya," Piotr soothed. It seemed that he always soothed her when she felt her temper rising. "I am sure Scott didn't mean to leave you behind. So many were climbing into his car, I would not be surprised if he thought you were among them."

"Maybe," Kitty sighed in agreement. She had a feeling that wasn't the case at all, and so, secretly, did Piotr. "But how am I supposed to get to school now?"

"I can give you a ride," Piotr said as he finished the last touch on his bike. Throwing the dirty rag in a nearby bucket, he grinned at her. "Just allow me to grab my jacket and wash my hands."

Kitty smiled gratefully. "Thanks Pete! I owe ya one!"

"It is no problem," Piotr reassured her. "I am happy to help."

Without another word, he hurried into the mansion to wash his hands and grab his favorite leather jacket. Sometimes riding his motorcycle made him chilly, not that he wasn't used to the cold. He _was_ from Russia after all. Kitty smiled when he reappeared wearing the leather jacket and waited for him to climb on the motorcycle before climbing on after him and placing the helmet he gave her on her head.

"Are you sure it's fine?" she asked hesitantly, voice muffled by the helmet. She wasn't sure if he had plans or not, but she wouldn't put it past Piotr to delay his own plans in the face of helping someone else.

"Of course, Katya, anything for you." He blushed at the proclamation, as did Kitty though he couldn't see it. Starting the engine, the motorcycle roared down the road. Kitty gripped his waist, not used to riding on motorcycles, and couldn't help but notice how nice it felt to hold him. In front of her, Piotr too was more than a little aware of how nice it felt to have Kitty's arms around him.

The motorcycle came to a stop as he parked in Bayville High's parking lot. Kitty climbed off the back of the bike grudgingly and removed the helmet. Her hair, normally up but Rogue insisted she keep it down today, settled around her face as it had been before. No worry of helmet hair, thankfully.

She gave the helmet to Piotr, who'd gone without since he could merely make himself metal to avoid incident. Of course, Kitty could've phased should any harm be about to come to her, but Piotr didn't want to take chances. He was used to turning metal within a span of a millisecond, whereas Kitty usually had forewarning when she needed to phase.

"Thanks again, Pete, I really do owe you."

"Do not worry, Katya," Piotr smiled, placing the helmet on. He lifted up the tinted glass, and gazed at her with his oh so blue gaze. "As I have said, I am glad to be of help."

Then, flipping the tinted glass of his helmet down, he restarted the engine. Kitty smiled, waved goodbye, and ran towards the large building. Several students were still milling around the courtyard, but the bell would be ringing soon, and even they were starting towards the doors. Piotr watched her disappear in the cluster of students before driving off and missing the feel of two small arms around him.

&&&&&&

Unknown to either of them, a pair of brown eyes watched the whole scene from behind a large tree. Tabitha had gone in earlier, angry at him for paying so much attention to that waitress a few days ago. He wasn't worried though, she was starting to grate on his nerves. He really thought he and Tabitha would be good together, but everyday they spent together she complained more and more, or demanded bigger more expensive gifts from him, knowing he couldn't afford it and didn't want to risk getting caught stealing again. One time had been bad enough!

Kitty, Lance sighed. He missed her surprisingly enough. He hated the thought that she might've moved on since she was supposed to still be hung up on him. He glared at the muscle man he knew he'd attack next battle with the X-men. No one was going to steal his girl! Even if he had cut her loose.

Planning how he would confront her later, Lance headed for his first period. Lunch, he decided, would be the best place for that particular confrontation. Kitty hated causing scenes, and Tabitha would undoubtedly be off bugging Pietro or some other poor guy in order to make him jealous. Without the blonde around, he could easily talk the younger girl into going someplace private to talk. Kitty, after all, was always ready to talk.

A/N's:

Sorry guys, while I love Kiotr as far as comics go, I'm actually a Lancitty shipper for evolution. Don't worry! The title is Shadowcat and Colossus, which means, this _will be_ Kitty/Piotr, but there will also be sprinkles of Lancitty throughout this too.

I don't have this story completely planned out, I never do plan them out, but of course I'll be finishing this and the others in the series one by one. Until then, I do have the next stories in the series planned out (well, the summaries anyway). Here's a little glimpse at what's to come:

**Matchmaking: Storm and Wolverine**

Summary: Part 3 in the series! For once jealousy isn't the problem. It's a matter of getting Wolverine to admit he's in love, and Storm to admit even savages have hearts. This could prove to be the hardest mission yet for our matchmakers.

**Matchmaking: Rogue and Gambit**

Summary: Part 4 in the series: We all know how Scott and Jean got together, but what about Remy and Rogue? Who brought them together? How did Rogue come to be so obsessed with matchmaking anyway?

**Matchmaking: Magma and Pyro**

Summary: Part 5. Now that Rogue and Gambit's story is known, what about Magma and Pyro? Who could possibly want a pyromaniac and an obnoxious princess together? Well, someone obviously!

**Matchmaking: Iceman and Jubilee**

Summary: Part 6! Persuading Jubilee to like Iceman isn't the problem, it's that Iceman can't get over his ex-girlfriend back home – Lorna.

**Matchmaking: X23 and Quicksilver**

Summary: Part 7. Setting up X-men was hard enough, but how do you do it for a member of the Brotherhood? Rogue will somehow manage it, in the name of matchmaking! (Most likely the last in the series)


	6. Failure to Communicate

**Chapter 6**

Lance smirked when lunchtime rolled around. Just as he'd predicted, Tabitha was flirting like crazy with a very freaked out Pietro and didn't seem to understand he was struggling to get away and not closer to her. He wasn't paying much attention, however, and instead was focused on Kitty. She seemed to be deep in conversation with the X-geeks, but Lance had few qualms about interrupting whatever unimportant discussion they were having.

As he neared, he felt his hackles rise when he heard Kitty's voice. Why the hell would she be talking about that creep? She should be telling them how much she missed him! Lance wouldn't admit he felt more than a little upset she wasn't crying over him, but rather was telling her friends how amazing "Piotr" was for giving her a ride.

"And when I asked if it was okay, he said 'It is no problem, Katya, I am happy to be of help.'" Kitty sighed dreamily. "Can you believe how awesome he is? How many guys would do that for a girl and not complain?"

Jean put a reassuring hand on Scott's shoulder, and snuggled closer to her boyfriend. He grinned and wrapped an arm around her, well aware of the glaring from across the room. Duncan and Taryn were dating now, but they still hadn't gotten over their rejection from a few months prior.

"Scott's sweet enough to do that," Jean reminded Kitty. The valley girl blinked and glared at Scott, remembering suddenly how he'd left her behind.

"You mean like how he left me today? How you all left me?" she asked angrily. Scott and the others shared an amused look.

"I'm sorry, Kitty," Scott apologized. "I was just in such a hurry…But are you _really_ mad? I mean if I had stayed, you wouldn't have scored the chance to ride with Colossus."

"Yeah," Kitty sighed again, "I guess you're righ…Hey! You planned that didn't you?" she accused more than asked with sudden realization. The X-men turned away or coughed, while Scott and Jean began whistling innocently and looking anywhere but at Kitty.

"I have no idea what you mean," Scott said. Kitty could just make out a smile threatening to appear on his face, and she allowed herself a good laugh. She should've guessed! He was just as bad as Rogue!

"Oh you…" she trailed off, unable to think of a word to describe him. Jean looked defensive at first, ready to protect her boyfriend, but when Kitty only smiled she relaxed and leaned against him.

"Kitty!" the masculine voice startled the mutants, and all turned to stare at the approaching Lance. Well, Kitty stared, her friends glared and Scott fisted one of his hands under the table. A quick look had him leaning back with a disappointed frown on his face. She didn't want a fight on her behalf.

"Lance? Can I help you?" Kitty asked bravely, looking at him coolly. She thought she'd done a good job acting aloof, but he merely smiled at her.

"I really need to talk to you. Alone." Lance looked pointedly at Scott and Kurt, the two most protective of the younger girl.

Kurt started to rise, but Kitty quickly placed a soothing hand on his shoulder. He halted and sat back down, glaring distrustfully at Lance. Kitty looked at him with questioning blue eyes, unsure what he could possibly want to discuss. She made sure to keep close to Kurt just in case he tried something right here. Didn't he have Tabitha anyway?

"What do you want, Lance?" Kitty asked harsher than intended. "If you can tell me, you can tell my friends."

"Okay," Lance frowned. He didn't like this sudden bravery Kitty acquired. What happened to the scared girl he met so long ago? The girl he used to break into their old school to change their grades. Never matter, he decided. He would just come out and say it. "I want to get back together."

"WHAT!?"

Several heads turned at the sudden shout, staring at the standing Scott and Kurt. Actually, everyone at the "Xavier" table, as they called it, was standing except for Pryde. She looked too shocked to do anything. Whispers broke out about what could possibly be happening, and the students watched on with anticipation.

"Uh, I think we should talk alone," Kitty said, finally coming back to herself.

She tried to stand, found herself to weak too, shook away the unease and shock, and stood again. Looking at Lance, she smiled nervously and glanced at his table from the corner of her eye. The Brotherhood was watching them interestedly, and Tabitha was shooting her an "if looks could kill" glare. Briefly, Kitty felt satisfaction at making Tabitha Smith jealous, but she quickly shook it away and followed Lance out of the lunchroom. Not without shooting her friends a warning look though, and mentally telling Jean to keep Scott and Kurt in the cafeteria.

The redhead looked unsure at the request, but conceded when Kitty pleaded for her to just do that one thing. She promised to scream as loud as she could and send Jean a message of what was happening if he tried anything. Otherwise, she wanted her to make sure Scott and Kurt didn't do something that would get them suspended – especially Scott whom would soon be graduating and didn't need to be on Kelly's bad side.

When they were out of the cafeteria, Kitty stopped walking. Lance continued on for a few steps before realizing she was still by the doors and turning back to her. Kitty crossed her arms, feeling a bit more secure and glared at Lance threateningly, or at least as threateningly as she could. Being Kitty, it wasn't a truly scary glare, but it got the point across. She wouldn't be going anywhere until he explained himself further.

"What do you mean you want to get back together?" she demanded. "What about Tabitha?"

"Tabitha isn't what I thought she'd be," Lance said softly. He ran a hand through his hair, a gesture Kitty used to adore but now paid little attention too. "I can't stop thinking about you when I'm with her."

"You weren't thinking about either of us when you were eyeing Eleanor!" Kitty exclaimed and immediately chastised herself for doing so. Now he knew for sure she'd been watching him at the restaurant, exactly what she _didn't_ need Lance to find out!

He had to think for a few minutes as to whom Eleanor was, but then the waitress came to mind and he smirked. He knew Kitty was watching him, but that she'd said it aloud only made it all the more real. It made him feel good to know she'd been jealous, even as she protested his offer now.

"Jealous?" he teased lightly. Kitty hmphed and tightened her arms around her.

"Not likely," she retorted. Lance could hear the slight tremble in her voice though, a tale-tale sign she was lying. He grinned inwardly, but only smiled slightly on the outside. He didn't need her to know he'd already caught her where he wanted her.

"I forgot about her seconds later," he told her. "My eyes kept finding you and that…that…thing."

"Thing? Piotr is NOT a thing!" Kitty exclaimed heatedly. Unwrapping her arms, she poked his chest dangerously, and Lance actually backed up a few steps. He'd never seen Kitty so angry before. "Piotr is a very special man! _He_ doesn't see the point in flirting with everything that moves, _he _listens to what I have to say, and _he _is a _much_ better boyfriend than you!"

As soon as the words left her mouth, Kitty clamped her hands over her mouth. How could she say such a thing? Piotr and she weren't dating, and she'd just implied they were! Actually, she just said he was her boyfriend outright! How would he take this news? She couldn't take it back now though; Lance already heard it and he would _never_ let her live it down if she told him she wasn't dating Piotr!

"Um…I mean…"

"You…" Lance said slowly, his face ghostly white, "and Tin-man?"

Kitty gulped, then gathered her courage, silently apologized to Piotr, and glared at Lance. "His name is Piotr, and yes, we're dating!"

Slowly, Lance's frown melted into a smile. "Hahaha! You had me goin' there for a second, pretty Kitty."

Kitty winced at the nickname she used to love so much. Somehow it wasn't as pleasant as Katya anymore. She glared at him, and silently hoped she wasn't making a terrible mistake by doing this. Anger had taken over, however, and she didn't give it too much thought before glaring at Lance. How dare he think she couldn't get a boyfriend?

"I'll have you know Piotr and I are very happy together! In fact, that night at the restaurant was our first date!" she smiled smugly. It wasn't a complete lie. It really had been a date, and the first one they'd ever gone on. Unfortunately, she thought, it would probably also be the only one they _ever_ went on. She'd be lucky if Piotr even talked to her after she told him about this.

Lance snorted. "You must not be too happy then, otherwise you wouldn't have been watching me and Tabby."

"I was only wondering if we'd ever get our own waitress!" Kitty said, though she knew the lie was weak. She'd never been good at lying like Rogue and Remy were. Hell, even Scott was a better liar than her. Luckily, Jean couldn't lie very well either or else she might feel left out.

"Riiight," Lance drawled. He quite obviously didn't believe a word Kitty said.

Feeling her anger grow by the minute, Kitty huffed and pulled him back into the cafeteria. She only vaguely noticed everyone's eyes on hers as she marched to her table and stopped next to Scott. He'd been leaning back in his chair so it tilted on two legs much to Jean's ire (she hated when people didn't use chairs the right way, but loved Scott and thought he looked too cute tilting back like that to complain), but he dropped it as soon as Kitty stopped next to him. He looked between her and Lance, silently asking if she wanted him to take care of the problem.

"Scott, would you be a dear and tell _Lance," _she spat out his name as though it were poison, "that Piotr and I are most definitely dating?"

"Wha?" Scott started, surprised by her request. Catching on quickly, and thinking of how he and Rogue might use this to their advantage, he smirked smugly at Lance. "Of course you are, Kit. Why else would he drive you to school today after I left? Most guys would just make you walk if you weren't dating them."

Lance frowned. As much as he hated to say it, Scooter had a point there. He wouldn't put it past those X-geeks to help each other out though, and he refused to believe Kitty would possibly move on. However, something in Scott's tone told him he was very serious about their relationship existing. Really, he knew it would one day exist and was very serious about that, but Lance didn't need to know that little bit of information.

"Fine," Lance growled, "but this isn't over yet."

Looking pointedly at Kitty, he stalked back to his table. As soon as he sat down, Tabitha was climbing all over him again. Kitty just barely held in her lunch at the sight of it, and instead took her seat and turned away from them. She was all too aware of Lance's glare, but ignored it as best she could.

"So, when did you and Piotr start dating?" Jean asked interestedly.

"We aren't," Kitty groaned, placing her head in her hands.

"What?" Jean frowned. "But you said…" she looked at Scott questioningly. "And you said…"

"I know," Kitty sobbed. "What am I going to tell him when we get back?"

"The truth," Scott said thoughtfully. Kitty looked at him as though he'd lost his mind, but he wasn't looking at her. Rather, he was smirking at some unseen thing above him – or maybe it was just the ceiling, you couldn't really tell when sunglasses were constantly covering his eyes. "You'll tell him the truth."

"But he'll hate me!" Kitty exclaimed. "He'll—"

"I doubt that," Jean pointed out. "Piotr wouldn't hate _you_ if you ruined one of his paintings!"

"Maybe you're right," Kitty sighed. "But I can't tell him the truth."

"If you don't," Scott said, "I will. He'll find out one way or another, you might as well get it over with. Besides, soon enough it'll be true."

This time Jean smiled with him. Kitty felt her hopes raise a little at their words, though she wasn't too sure if those smiles were any good. She certainly wouldn't mind if it were true though. Nodding, she decided to spend the rest of lunch thinking over how she would explain this new dilemma to Piotr. Meanwhile, Jean and Scott conversed quietly and the rest of the X-men wisely decided to just stay out of it. Really, it was the best idea they could think of.

&&&&&&

"Rogue!" Scott called as he ran through the mansion with Jean. "Gambit, Magma, Pyro!"

The couples poked their heads out of their respective rooms, looking rather irritated. They piled into the hall where Jean and Scott were smiling widely. Apparently, Amara decided to skip school again to spend time with Pyro. That would explain why no one had seen her throughout the day, and with the professor and everyone else too afraid to really go near them when either couple was "in the mood", they weren't likely to be scolded until later about it.

"What is it, sugah?" Rogue asked, placing her hands on her hips. At least they'd all had the decency to be dressed before coming into the hall.

"Dis best be good, _homme_," Remy threatened, though they knew he wouldn't do too much harm.

"Yeah," Pyro agreed, "we were busy!"

"It's about Kitty and Piotr," Scott said before Amara could add her two cense. Immediately, they shut up.

"What happened?" Rogue asked eagerly. Scott grinned.

"Well…"

As he explained what happened, their irritation melted into amusement. Finally, Rogue clapped her hands gleefully. This would indeed aid them. After all, when two people pretended to be in a relationship, what else could come of it except love? This was gonna be good.


	7. Irresponsible

**Chapter 7**

Piotr stared at Kitty. He blinked once, twice, three times. He couldn't stop staring, gaping more like, at her. Stunned silence surrounded them, and he shook his head to clear the fog quickly taking over his mind. He couldn't believe what she just told him, what she'd done, said!

"Excuse me, Katya, but _what_?" his voice wasn't harsh, more surprised than anything. Still, Kitty winced at the tone and looked away in shame.

"I sorta told Lance we were dating," Kitty said sheepishly. "He didn't believe me, and I got so upset that he didn't think I could move on that I kinda sorta had Scott tell him we were too."

The silence continued. Piotr thought he knew Kitty, thought she was responsible, but this? He couldn't believe it! Part of him wanted to jump in joy that it was him she said she was dating, the other half, however, wanted to sit her down and scold her about her actions. He thought she knew, understood, why they couldn't be together, but this made him wonder if she really had any idea.

"Katya, I-I…" he paused, unknowingly making Kitty feel worse by the second. "I need to think."

He walked off before she could apologize further. He winced himself when he heard her sniffle, but he couldn't bear to turn and comfort her right now. Of course Piotr was thankful she told him the truth straight out, he would hate discovering the truth later, but still! She said they were dating as though it would only affect her and not him as well. He wasn't sure if he should be insulted or not, and that was why he needed to think. To figure things out.

Kitty watched him go, feeling guilt claw at her. She knew it was a bad idea to tell Lance they were dating, and she still did it! What had she been thinking? Piotr probably hated her now, never mind what Scott and Jean thought, and he wouldn't want to talk to her ever again! That thought alone made her sniffle back tears.

"Kitty?" Jean's soothing voice called a few minutes after Piotr's departure. "Are you okay? I saw Piotr leaving, and he didn't look so well – Kitty!"

The redhead rushed to her crying friend, wrapping her arms around Kitty immediately. She didn't know what happened, but she had a feeling Kitty just told Piotr what she'd done and he didn't take it too well. He wasn't the type to make a girl cry though, no matter how big the mistake. This changed her perception of the Russian big time! _What a jerk_ she thought vehemently, unaware she'd done so with her telepathy.

Kitty pulled away from her and glared, tempted to slap the glare off her friend's face. She knew Jean only wanted to look out for her, but how dare she call Piotr a jerk? He hadn't done anything! Kitty knew deep down she would've acted the same way he did if he had been the one to say such a thing to his ex-girlfriend.

"Don't you _dare_ call Piotr a jerk!" she growled dangerously. Jean jumped at the hateful look on her young face but kept her ground. Kitty's expression calmed and she slumped back next to Jean. "It isn't his fault. He just said he needed some time to think about it."

"Oh," Jean felt herself blush at this revelation. She really needed to work on that jumping to conclusions problem she had. She should've known Piotr would never make Kitty cry intentionally.

"He hates me!" Kitty wailed suddenly. "I just know it! Now, he'll _never_ want to speak to me again! Hell, he'll never want to look at me again!"

"Kitty!" Jean gasped, unused to the valley girl cursing. Rogue cursed, Remy cursed, Amara cursed, John cursed like a sailor, hell even Scott cursed sometimes, but Kitty didn't curse! She had a strict 'no bad words' rule that she, and Jean, tried to uphold.

"What?" Kitty glared at her. "It's true, and you know it! Piotr will never forgive me for this! What was I thinking?"

Placing her head back in her hands, she let out a long, low cry. She felt so stupid. She ruined a good friendship all in the name of making her ex-boyfriend jealous! Honestly, she couldn't blame Piotr for hating her. He had every right too.

"Piotr doesn't hate you," Jean soothed. _Rogue, _she called mentally, _can you please talk to Piotr? Kitty just told him, and now she thinks he hates her because he said he needed time to think._

_Ah was busy ya know! _Rogue replied, but her voice wasn't as angry as it normally was when someone contacted her mentally. _Ah'll talk t' him._

_Thanks, _Jean sighed in relief. Then, turning back to the problem at hand, she tried to comfort Kitty. The girl just didn't want to believe that Piotr would never hate her. Jean hoped Rogue and Scott managed to push them together soon because she was beginning to think this was hopeless.

&&&&&&

Rogue found Piotr looking over the mansion grounds. She frowned as she neared, sensing the distress rolling off him in waves. One didn't need to be an empath to sense how upset he was. Creeping ever closer, Piotr jumped when Rogue placed a hand on his arm. He turned to face her, sighing when he saw Rogue. Rather it was out of relief or defeat, she couldn't be sure.

"Hey sugah, Jean asked meh t' talk t' ya." Rogue figured being straightforward was the best way to go about this. Piotr may not like to hurt people's feelings, but he was also an honest-to-the-bone man and didn't like to beat around the bush.

"I cannot believe what Katya did," he mumbled almost unwillingly. "I suppose I cannot be mad, but I thought she was more responsible than this!"

Rogue sighed and clapped his back gently. She smiled at him when he looked at her.

"Sugah, Kitty's American. We Americans ain't very responsible. Look at Remy!"

Despite his confusion over Kitty's actions, he couldn't help but laugh. Leave it to Rogue to point out her boyfriend's lack of responsibility before her own. Of course, both southerners could be responsible when they wanted too, they just usually weren't. His smile slowly faded and he looked back at the grounds, feeling the tranquility calm his tensed muscles.

"Look, Pete, Ah know Kitty did wrong sayin' that an' all, but look at it from her point o' view. Lance is a jerk, an' aftah th' way he's treated her he suddenly wants back in. Then, he don't b'lieve she can move on when she tells him she has. Ah cain't blame her fo' doin' what she did, even if Ah do think she shouldn't o' did it."

"I suppose you are right," Piotr sighed in defeat. "I am not angry, just surprised. It does not seem like something Katya would do."

"No," Rogue admitted, "it don't. Ah'll tell ya what, why don't you an' Kitty talk this out yaselves. Ah'll bet if you can pretend t' be her boyfriend an' get Lance off her back, she'll tell him th' truth an' this whole mess'll be straightened out."

"I cannot!" Piotr exclaimed. "The law clearly states that once over eighteen, you cannot date someone younger than eighteen."

"Nah, sugah," Rogue shook her head. "Th' law states that once ovah eighteen, you cain't sleep with someone youngah than eighteen. Don't say nothin' 'bout datin'. Lance is eighteen, an' he dated Kitty. Don't see him in jail (unfortunately) now do ya?"

"No," Piotr admitted, "I do not."

"Great!" Rogue grinned. "So long as ya'll don't do th' horizontal mambo, you'll be fine!"

"Horizontal mambo?" the Russian shot her a confused glance. Rogue smiled.

"Sex, sugah," she clarified, "sex."

"Oh," Piotr blushed, "right."

"Now, why don't you an' Kitty-cat talk this out, hm? She thinks ya hate her right now."

"Hate her?" Piotr looked shocked at this revelation. "I could never hate Katya! She is too special to hate. I mean…" he trailed off, blushing madly. Rogue merely smirked.

"Relax honey," she soothed, "Ah know what ya mean. Why don't you go tell her that though? Ah ain't th' one thinkin' ya hate her."

"I never thought I would be saying this, but you are right, Rogue." Piotr smiled gratefully at her and went in search of Kitty. At least, if they did act like they were dating, he could spend a few days – possibly weeks – as her beau. That would be plenty for him.

"Thanks," Rogue called after him. Then, catching the insult, she glared at his retreating back. "Hey! Ah'll get ya fo' that one day Russian! Ya hear meh!?"

Piotr only smiled and laughed. Somehow, he knew Rogue wasn't seriously angry. Though, he would watch his back for a few days, just in case she did decide to do something in retaliation. Better safe than sorry after all.

"Hm," Rogue chuckled, shaking her head. "Kids."

&&&&&&

"Katya?" Piotr called softly, stepping into her room. Jean left a few minutes ago with Scott, and Kitty wasn't in the mood for another chat. She jumped when she saw Piotr, feeling tears well in her eyes again. He hated her, had come to say he never wanted to see her again! She just barely stopped a long wail from escaping her lips.

"Yes?" she croaked, trying to sound mature. She missed by a lot, but Piotr only smiled sadly and stepped further into the room.

"I have just come to tell you that I will pretend to be your boyfriend," he said softly. Kitty turned away. She knew it! She _knew_ he hated her! She _knew_ he'd never want to see her aga…what?

"What?" she stared at him, utterly baffled. Piotr's smile turned slightly more amused.

"I said I will pretend to be your boyfriend. I realize Lance must have really put you in a rough spot, and I cannot sit idly by while one so sweet is pushed around by one so rough. I will help."

Kitty blushed when he called her sweet, ducking her head to hide the pleased smile on her face. "Thanks, Piotr! I owe you one – er…two!"

"Two?"

"One for this, and one for the ride." Piotr held up a hand.

"I have told you, Katya, I am glad to be of help. You owe me nothing. I should apologize, however, for my behavior. I am sorry to not hear you out before."

"No," Kitty shook her head, "I would've done the same had I been in your position. I think you should've acted the way you did! I should've thought about what I said before I said it."

"You really are more mature than your age," Piotr informed her, earning him a darker blush. He smiled and turned to leave. "I will be driving you to school tomorrow then, da?"

Kitty looked up, smiling brightly for the first time since Lance cornered her in the cafeteria. "Yeah, definitely!"

Piotr nodded once and started out of her room. Kitty's voice stopped him, however, and he couldn't help smiling and blushing at her words. Luckily, he kept his back to her, so she didn't see how happy he was by what she said.

"I'm glad you're pretending to be my boyfriend."

Kitty couldn't be sure if it was real or just her imagination, but she could've sworn she heard Piotr softly reply to her statement before the door closed behind him. Rather it was real or not, Kitty smiled all the same. His words echoed around her room, and she silently hoped it hadn't all been in her mind. Not the soft voice saying three words that made her heart skip.

"So am I."


	8. Scene One: Ride to School

The first day of their act, Kitty's nerves were on edge. She didn't doubt Piotr would do an excellent job playing her boyfriend, he was already incredibly sweet, but rather or not Lance would buy it was making her fidgety. He might've stomped off the other day, but that didn't mean he wouldn't strike down the idea of them being together later on. It was just his style to finally believe something, rather it was true or not, then push it off as a lie later that same day.

She squeezed her hands, feeling the sweat there, and grimaced. Kitty hated sweat, but she was too nervous to even bother washing them. In any number minutes, she would be riding on the back of Piotr's motorcycle again. Her small arms would be wrapped around his waist, just like before, but this time it wouldn't be because Scott "had so much to do at school".

_Oh no!_

Now that she remembered Piotr would be taking her to school, she felt her heart race for another reason entirely. Thoughts of Lance were pushed from her mind. Now, she had to worry about not making a fool of herself in front of Piotr! What if she did a horrible job and he decided she would make a lousy girlfriend? She couldn't deal with that! Rather this was an act or not, she really did like Piotr and really wouldn't mind being more. No, anything less than perfection would be simply intolerable.

Nodding firmly at the thought, she steeled herself for the ride to come. It would only take a few minutes to get to Bayville High, but it would seem an eternity she was sure. The whole ride, undoubtedly, she'd worry about looking stupid to Piotr. The worst part was, or maybe it was the best part, he wouldn't say anything aloud if she did botch everything up. So, she'd never know if he thought she was stupid or not!

_Relax_, Jean's voice resounded in her head, _you'll do fine. I was just as nervous as you before I got with Scott, and now look at us!_

_Thanks Jean, _Kitty replied with a grateful smile. She looked at Scott sitting next to the redhead, then down at their clasped hands and imagined herself and Piotr in that position. Rogue had done a lot for them, and she didn't doubt their southern friend would come through for her and Piotr too. She hoped anyway.

Jean simply smiled and snuggled closer to Scott. She ignored the disgusted grunt from Logan, or she didn't hear it since it was so soft. Either way, his grunt and sour look went unnoticed by the lovesick teens. Really, he'd never see the point in all that teenage lovey-dovey crap. He was simply glad he'd never been hit by Cupid, and he didn't plan to be either. His gaze drifted briefly to Ororo before he snorted and turned back to his breakfast. Nope, he'd _never_ be hit by those annoying heart-tipped arrows.

"I'm ready," Scott said finally, throwing down his napkin. "Who all's riding?"

Several hands shot up at his question, and he smirked when he noticed Kitty's wasn't joining. Of course, he didn't expect it too, but that didn't mean he couldn't allow a triumphant smirk. He shared a short look with Rogue, whom smirked also, and quickly nodded at the raised hands. Most were finished and rushed upstairs to get their thing, while the others tried to hurry and finish eating.

"Ah think Remy an' Ah are gonna head out fo' a while," Rogue announced. "We got some business t' take care of down south."

Scott shot her a surprised glance, recognizable only by the arched eyebrows. He hadn't known about this. Rogue shot him a secretive smile, and he grinned as he realized what she was doing. _Clever_ _Rogue_ he thought fondly, shaking his head.

Rogue smiled as though hearing his thoughts. Jean frowned at the words going through Cyclops' mind, but she didn't comment. It wasn't that she didn't like Scott and Rogue's friendship, but their understanding of each other made her irrationally jealous at times.

It was nothing personal, just that Rogue seemed to understand Scott's powers more than she did at times. It made sense since both had deadly powers that activated over the simplest things. Scott opened his eyes and he could blow the whole school down, or Rogue touched someone for two minutes and she could very well kill them. The understanding got to her sometimes, and she knew it had the same effect on Remy.

Shaking herself of the unwanted feelings, Jean smiled at her boyfriend and mentally asked him what Rogue was planning. He promised to tell her later and told the remaining teens that, if they wanted a ride, they should finish eating soon. Jean felt her admiration for Scott return. Only he would realize how utterly important an education really was and why they should be on time. He really was the man for her! No one else was so...so...perfect!

Looking at the smiling Jean, Logan snorted again.

&&&&&&

Kitty felt the wind whip around her, sending her ponytail flying haphazardly. Despite his protests, Kitty refused to wear a helmet this time. Normally, she would never think to do something so dangerous, and Piotr was firmly against allowing her to do such a thing. However, today Kitty wanted to prove she was just as rebelious as any teenage mutant. Plus, she thought Piotr might be impressed with her (stupidity) bravery. So, against his better judgment, Piotr gave into Kitty's determination.

Now, she almost wished she'd worn the helmet if just to hold her hair back. Thinking of possible helmet hair, she was certain the lack of that horrible nightmare last time had been luck, and how stupid she would look in front of Piotr, Kitty managed to push the desire to have her hair safely tucked away out. Thankfully, the school was coming into view.

As the metal-man slowed his bike, Kitty's arms loosened around him. Her racing heart calmed slightly and she grinned. That had to be the bravest thing she'd done in...well, ever! Truly, Kitty Pryde was a rebel. Wait till Lance saw her! She'd show him who was a bad girl!

Thoughts of Lance reminded her why she was really riding with Piotr. During the trip, she managed to forget that everything was just an act, but now she remembered. Feeling her nerves act up again, Kitty tightened her grip slightly. In front of her, Piotr smiled but quickly changed it to a frown when he realized why he was feeling so chipper suddenly. He shouldn't be feeling like this towards Kitty, no matter what Rogue said about it being okay!

The bike pulled to a stop, and Kitty immediately reached up to fix her hair. Thankfully, it settled back to its usual state for the most part, and she only had to straighten a few hairs. Satisfied that she'd gotten the worst, she planned to make double sure in the bathroom, she climbed off the back of the motorcycle. Being pressed against Piotr had warmed her, but now the wind cooled her skin quickly and she only just managed to stop a morose sigh from escaping.

Piotr glanced around the schoolyard, finding Lance almost immediately. The Brotherhood member stood at a nearby tree with Tabitha. Apparently they made up sometime between yesterday and this morning. He frowned. For someone who'd just asked Kitty to come back to him, Lance certainly didn't seem in any hurry to leave Tabitha, judging by the way his tongue was halfway down her throat. Honestly, Kitty deserved better than that!

Glancing up, Lance's eyes widened when he saw Kitty. He quickly pushed Tabitha away, muttering something to her when she tried to come back for more. She frowned, huffed, and glared in their direction. What Lance said next must not have been what she wanted to hear because she glared at him, retorted quickly, and stomped away angrily. Lance didn't even watch her leave, focusing instead on Colossus and Kitty.

Kitty noticed his presence shortly after Tabitha left. She had been too busy worrying over what she would say to Piotr in the next few seconds to really pay any attention to her surroundings. Only when she realized the Russian had also not said anything did she look up. Piotr was smiling slightly at her, almost apologetically though why she had no idea. She glared briefly at Lance before turning back to "boyfriend".

"Thanks, Piotr," she said a bit too loudly. "I really enjoyed the ride!"

"Uh...you're welcome?" Piotr said hesitantly. He didn't see the point in shouting their words because that would only make it more obvious they were acting in his opinion. "What are boyfriends for?"

Kitty giggled. "You're so funny!"

Leaning down, she made as thoguh to kiss his cheek. Instead, she whispered: "Thanks for agreeing to this. You're really great, Piotr!" Then, moving back, she kissed his cheek soundly and flounced away. Piotr watched her go, blushing at the intimate contact, and restarted his bike. He didn't remember them saying anything about kissing, even if only on the cheek, though he didn't mind much and he figured that's what couples did. Still...

A smile spread across his face as he drove away, unable to stop himself from shooting Lance a smirk on his way out of the school parking lot. It wasn't like him, but if the man treated women in such a horrid manner, Piotr felt it was okay to be a bit smug in his presence. So long as he didn't make a habit out of it, which he most definitely didn't plan too.

Lance glared at him as he left, thinking of all the possible ways to win Kitty back and make his life miserable. He realized after he stomped off the previous day how obvious Kitty's lie was. Scott wanted to help his friend, which obviously meant he would lie for her. This little scene had him wondering though. If Kitty really moved on, there would undoubtedly be some problems. But he wanted her back, and what Lance wants Lance gets! One way or another, Kitty would be his girl again!

A/N's:

Short yes, sorry about that. I'm exhausted and have been very busy lately though, so at least I got this much out of me!


	9. Bundle of Tricks

As I write this, I begin to see less Romy and more Kiotr. Since I think of the Kiotr relationship as more sweetness than humor, I don't think I'll be able to pull through with _all_ the Romy I promised. However, they'll still be present (of course).

Sorry it took so long, but I couldn't think of how to continue it with what I wanted to do, so I tried a different approach. I have no idea what they're going to do with the stuff Rogue got from Eleanor, I just couldn't think of anything else. Oh well, time to get creative I suppose.

**Chapter 9**

"_Chere_, y' sure 'bout dis?" Remy asked Rogue for what felt like the millionth time.

Rogue glared at her beau over her shoulder. He'd been asking that for the last twenty minutes, and she was getting rather annoyed. This wasn't the first time she played matchmaker, and it wouldn't be the last if she had anything to say about it, so he should realize she knew what she was doing! Didn't her man have _any_ faith in her?

"Sugah, if ya ask meh that one mo' time, Ah'm gonna drop ya on th' side o' th' road!" she flipped the bike into a wheelie as warning, smirking when Remy's grip tightened around her waist. It wasn't often she let others ride on her "baby", so he naturally took the chance of a lifetime when she asked if he wanted to take his bike or hers. Remy had to admit, the green motorcycle ran like new. Rogue certainly took care of it.

They pulled to a stop in front of _Rosario's_ where Eleanor was waiting for them. She smiled when she saw Rogue pull to a stop and hurried over, carrying a bundle in her arms. Rogue grinned when the Mexican girl stopped in front of her and placed the bundle in her arms. The waitress looked at her mother's restaurant and back at Rogue with a meaningful look. Rogue smiled.

"Thanks, sugah, you can go on back now."

"Of course," Eleanor said with a slight nod in Remy's direction. "Remy. Good luck, Rogue!"

"See y', _p'tite_," Remy shouted as she ran back to the building. Rogue grinned and handed the bundle back to Remy, whom placed the small thing in his jacket. Revving her engine dangerously, Rogue sped off down the road. "So, where we goin' anyway, _chere_? Y' never did tell Remy."

"It's a suhprise, sugah," she informed him distractedly. "But they're gonna love it!"

Remy frowned and shook his head. He wished Rogue would stop worrying about Kitty and Piotr and start worrying about him. He hadn't felt her body under his in two days! It was driving him crazy to say the least. Even Logan had been shooting him odd looks that clearly stated he didn't like whatever was wrong with the Cajun because it was messing up their one-on-one Danger Room sessions.

"I hope so, _chere_."

&&&&&&

"Wha's all dis den?" Remy asked as he unloaded the bundle. A tape recorder, two packs of cigarettes, six spy-like ear phones and watches fell out. Remy was surprised to see that the shirt it had been wrapped in was actually a very slinky, very sexy looking nighty. He held up the forest green material and looked at Rogue questioningly.

"Remy don' t'ink da p'tite gon' be f'r wearin' dis."

Rogue looked at the nighty and smirked, grabbing it from his hands. "That ain't fo' Kitty, sugah," she said with a slight shake of her head, "that's motivation!"

"Motivation?" Remy blinked in confusion. Sometimes his woman could be really baffling.

"Yup," she said proudly. "Ah had Eleanor pick it up fo' meh, t' encourage _you_ t' work."

"So dis is..."

"Mine, if yo' a good boy."

Remy's frown turned into a devilish smirk. He liked the way Rogue thought! This little bribe only made him love her more. Now he remembered why he stayed with her all this time, even though she could be a little eccentric from time to time. She knew exactly how to get her way, and she didn't hesitate when the time came. Of course, there were other reasons he loved her, but that would just be getting unnecessarily mushy, and he wasn't too fond of that idea.

"Rogue, Remy mention how much he love da way you t'ink?"

"Once o' twice," Rogue responded seductively. "It nevah hurts t' hear it though."

"Den Remy love da way y' t'ink!"

"Ah know," Rogue grinned widely. "So do Ah."

Remy pouted at the lack of action, but it only made Rogue chuckle. Leaning over, she kissed him soundly and then went about sorting through her new toys. These would certainly help in their mission, so long as Pyro and Magma didn't screw things up like they had with Scott and Jean. Ah well, if they did she would just find some other way to fix it. Hadn't she when Jean stopped talking to Scott?

Remy watched Rogue with a slight smile. His _chere_ was truly a special one, and he would never forget how lucky he was to have her. He moved forward to help in any way he could. If her plans didn't work, at least she would finish this part faster and he could get her back in bed. Though, Remy highly doubted they wouldn't work. His Rogue was good at what she did after all, and she didn't let anything stop her from succeeding. It was only one other reason why he loved her.

"So, what we gon' do, _chere_?"

&&&&&&

"Remy!" Rogue screeched as Remy pulled her baby to a stop in the mansion's garage. She had decided to be lenient and let him drive back as payment for sticking by her. Obviously, she regretted her decision now. "Did ya scratch him? He's just a baby!" she whined pitifully, climbing off the back and checking over "his" front.

Remy rolled his eyes. Rogue could get a bit too emotional about her bike. He watched as she moved around the green and gold motorcycle, triple-checking for any scratches he might've involuntarily made during their trip. Honestly, she knew he could handle himself on a bike! He had his own, didn't he? But she refused to think that anyone driving her baby besides her would scratch him or do something to him that would end her world.

"Remy t'ink y' care more f'r dat bike den him," he deadpanned as she started her fourth checkup. Rogue looked at him innocently, her green eyes twinkling in the bright lighting of the garage.

"How'd ya guess?" she asked seriously. Remy blanched, unable to believe what he'd just heard. He looked at Rogue for any signs of teasing but found none. He felt his heart break at her admission and couldn't stop gaping at her.

"_Chere_..." he started softly, disbelievingly.

Rogue managed to keep her face straight a few seconds longer before laughter took over. She fell to the floor laughing. Remy watched her, feeling his broken heart mend rapidly. He sighed a breath of relief, thankful she'd merely been teasing. Glaring at his laughing girlfriend, he leaned over the bike to watch her.

Rogue calmed enough to wipe tears from her eyes. Grinning up at Remy, she held out a hand for him to help her up since she'd fallen on her butt during her laughing fit. Remy was about to refuse to help her, but he decided against it at the last moment. This could be his chance after all. Payment for all she'd put him through these past few days.

He pulled her up with a bit more strength than needed and she landed almost painfully against his chest. Rogue raised her eyes to meet his, smiling mock-bashfully at the feral smirk on his face. It seemed Remy didn't like her innocent joke as much as she did.

"Uh, Remy?"

"Now, now, _chere_," he chided gently, waving a finger, "y' really had Remy worried dere. We can' have dat now, c'n we?"

Rogue gulped and shook her head. "No, cain't have that."

"Didn' t'ink so," he said, wrapping his arms around her waist. "So, how y' gon' make it up t' Remy?"

Rogue grinned slightly and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Ah'll find some way, Ah'm sure."

Remy grinned as well and leaned down, anxious to kiss his _belle_ _fille_. She started to lean up as well, her eyes hooded as they drew ever nearer. Almost...almost...almo...

"Hey, you two seen Scooter anywhere?" Logan asked gruffly, pushing between the two. Remy let go of Rogue reluctantly, shooting her an insufferable look. Rogue just chuckled and shrugged.

"Ain't he at school, Logan?" she asked, looking at her watch. "They still have a couple o' hours left befo' they get home."

"Right," Logan drawled as he rummaged through the tool drawer and pulled out a socket wrench. "Forgot. Well, I'm off ta fix 'Ro's sink. Apparently, porcupine sheds wood."

"Oh!" Rogue winced in sympathy. "Have fun."

"Hmph," Logan snorted. "I would tell you two the same, but you would. At least get a room!"

He stormed out of the garage, leaving the two southerners alone again. Remy watched him go, then turned back to his beautiful Rogue. He smirked and stepped forward, fully intending on continuing.

"Where were we?"

"Not now, sugah," Rogue said distractedly, holding the bundle of supplies again. "We have t' get everythin' set up fo' Amara, Scott, an' Jean when they get back."

Remy gaped at Rogue as she flounced out of the room. "_Chere_? _Amour_? Aw, c'mon, cut Remy a break!"

His answer was silence. Shoulders slumped, he followed Rogue's trek to their bedroom. Logan would have to pay for ruining his chance! Oh yes, he would pay! Remy would make sure of that.


	10. Smoker

**Chapter 10**

"Here's th' plan," Rogue said as the matchmakers sat around her room. "Kitty hates smokin', so Scott will sneak these int' Lance's pocket. Jean, you'll be there t' make sure he gets an urge to place her hand wherevah Scott placed th' cigarettes. That'll make her disgusted with him, an' she'll probably tell Piotr about it. Ah know fo' a fact Petey don't smoke, so that'll give 'em somethin' else in common."

The group nodded in approval at the idea. Right now it was all about making Piotr and Kitty realize how much they had in common. Amara's hand shot up, and she waved it enthusiastically.

"Yes, Amara?" Rogue asked slowly, arching a brow. Amara's hand lowered, and she beamed at Rogue's uncertainty at her actions.

"I have a question. What do the watches and stuff have to do with anything, and when do we get to use them?"

Rogue looked at the other things they had. She shrugged in an 'I don't know' gesture and smiled at Amara. "Ah just thought they'd be cool t' have around. Sides, fo' all we know they could come in handy latah."

"That makes sense," Amara mused. "So, why do we have two packs of cigarettes then? Scott's only putting one of em in Lance's pocket."

"Oh," Rogue held up the extra pack and threw it to Remy. "Ah just got those fo' th' Swamp Rat. Ya'll know how he gets sometimes."

"Wha's dat s'posed t' mean?" Remy asked defensively, and glared when he saw his so-called friends nodding. Even Jean nodded her agreement to Rogue's statement! _Some friends_, he thought with a huff.

"Nothin', sugah, absolutely nothin'." Rogue smiled indulgently and patted his head. Remy swatted her hand away and glared at her, unconsciously opening the pack and lighting a cigarette after throwing one to John. Rogue watched him in amusement and shared a knowing look with Amara. They loved their smoking lovers, even if neither particularly cared for nicotine themselves.

"So, how exactly is Scott goin' ta sneak those inta Rock-Boy's pocket?" Pyro asked, taking a drag. Rogue sighed and rubbed her temples.

"Ah was afraid one o' ya'll would ask that," she admitted. "That's where we have a problem. Ah don't know."

&&&&&&

Scott took a deep breath and focused his attention on his rival. Lance was talking, more like arguing, with Tabitha and seemed to be getting angrier by the minute. His fists clenched at his sides, so tightly his knuckles turned white. Tabitha didn't seem too worried, however, and instead continued to berate him, or whatever she was doing to make him so upset.

With one last harsh comment, she turned and stalked away. Lance winced at whatever she'd said, and Scott wished he could've been closer than he was. He would've loved to know what she'd said to his rival, no doubt he brought it on himself.

"Alvers!" Scott called, moving from behind his corner. Lance started and turned to glare at Scott.

"Summers," he replied. "What do you want?"

"I don't know why she sent _me_ to do this, or why she even _wants_ too." Scott sighed as though in disappointment while Lance furrowed his brows in confusion. What was Summers babbling about now?

"What are you on about?" Lance asked harshly. Scott glared at him.

"Kitty," he said simply. "For some strange reason, she wants to talk to you."

Lance perked up at that bit of news. He glared suspiciously at Scott, but he figured he had no real reason to lie to him. Well, other than them being enemies, but Summers wasn't the type to lie if he didn't have too. With a grunt he started to walk away, intent on finding Kitty, but Scott stopped him by pulling him back.

"Hold it, Alvers," Scott said threateningly. "I want to get a few things straight."

Lance rolled his eyes and pushed Scott's hands off him. Scott only grabbed him again, hauling him closer to his face.

"Look, I don't know what your game is, but she's happy again. If you hurt her..." he trailed off. Lance looked ready to protest, but he stopped suddenly, his face going momentarily blank. Taking his chance, Scott slipped the cigarettes into Lance's jacket pocket. Grinning malevolently, he moved away from Avalanche.

Glancing at Jean, whom was hiding behind a set of lockers, he nodded once to let her know the job was done. Nodding back in reply, she placed her fingers to her head as she closed her eyes in concentration. Scott smiled at his girlfriend, and was startled when Lance pushed him away again, slamming him into the lockers. He pushed away the urge to reciprocate the actions and instead went to Jean.

&&&&&&

Kitty paced back and forth nervously. Jean told her earlier that Lance wanted to speak with her, and though the redhead reminded her she didn't have to go, Kitty felt she should listen to whatever he had to say. Surely he wouldn't do anything to harm her, he seemed to want her back pretty badly, and she wasn't above admitting she had ulterior motives. Rubbing in that she was dating Piotr seemed like the perfect thing to do at a time like this.

If it had been just a few months ago, hell, a few _weeks_ ago, Kitty would've been sickened by the malevolence of her thoughts, but right now she couldn't find it in herself to care. Lance had been a jerk to her and to Piotr, even if he hadn't actually talked to the Russian personally, and she wanted him to suffer! Well, not really suffer, she wasn't that vengeful, but a little guilt wouldn't hurt.

Speaking of Lance, he had just come lumbering around the corner, looking slightly dazed. Kitty frowned and wondered what could be the cause of it, but reminded herself firmly that she didn't care. Tabitha was his girlfriend now, and she could worry about his well being.

"Kitty!" Lance said happily, spotting the X-girl. He ran over to her and grabbed her hands in his, looking at her lovingly. The expression on his face made Kitty blush and look away nervously. He didn't love her, she already knew that, but he had given her that look so many times before it was hard to believe they had ever broken up.

"Lance," Kitty replied with a slight nod. She phased her hands out of his, albeit reluctantly, and couldn't help comparing them to Piotr's large, warm hands. Lance's hands were smaller than Piotr's, but Kitty felt like something was missing that wasn't when Piotr took her hands, even if it had just been to warm them and not anything romantic at the time.

"So, what did you want to tell me?" Kitty and Lance asked at the same time. They stared at each other bewilderedly.

"What do you mean?" Kitty questioned suspiciously. "You wanted to talk to me, Jean said so!"

"No, you wanted to talk to _me_," Lance said. He glared suspiciously at the small girl. Something was telling him he had been set up, and he wouldn't put it past Summers to do something that would make him look bad in front of Kitty.

"Lance, that's not funny," Kitty said, glaring.

"I'm not kidding," Lance said, smirking when he realized he could expose Summers for the lying bastard he was. Kitty would never forgive him, and Scooter would never get over having a friend angry at him. He was just the type to mourn over his own mistakes.

"What's in your pocket?" Kitty asked before he could say anything. He frowned and looked at his bulging pocket. Shrugging, he pulled out the pack of cigarettes and gaped.

"Cigarettes?" Kitty gasped. "Lance, that's disgusting! Those things can kill you, not to mention the environment!"

"Kitty, I don't smoke!" he protested. It wasn't a complete lie. He smoked every once in a while, what bad boy didn't?, but he never made it a habit.

"I can't believe you're lying to me while holding the evidence!" Kitty exclaimed, appalled that he would think her so stupid as to fall for that.

"Why do you care anyway?" Lance snapped. "It's not like you're my girlfriend anymore! What I do is none of your business!"

"You're right," Kitty said quietly, "it isn't my business."

With that, she turned and flounced away, leaving Lance behind. He stared after her, then turned to glare at the lockers. Great, now Kitty was even angrier with him! He would never get her back at this rate! He snarled and punched the lockers. Summers was behind this, he just knew it, and he would make sure he paid! One way or another.

A/N's:

Well, it's safe to say this chapter was a piece of dog dookie. I seem to be running on autopilot with this story and my HP story _His Keeper. _I don't like it, but I'm not about to give up! However, it might take me a while to update anymore since I'm inspired for everything but these two stories. Anyhow, I'm well aware of Rogue's plans getting more lame by the minute, but I'm running out of ideas. So, if anyone wants to give me plans for Rogue until I can start thinking again, feel free to leave them in a review and I'll give you credit in whatever chapter they appear. If I don't, you have full permission to harrass me until I do.


	11. Kitty's Question

**Chapter 11**

"Lance is without a doubt the biggest jerk on the face of this planet!" Kitty raved as she stormed into the mansion, followed by a silent Piotr. She had been in a bad mood since he picked her up, and he dared not say a word for fear she would turn her wrath on him. He rather liked being on her good side and didn't want to do anything jeopardize his place in her good books.

Rogue glanced up from her place behind the open refrigerator door and smirked to herself when she saw the ranting Kitty. Scott told her the plan had been a success right before he left to take Jean out, but she wasn't sure how much of a success until just now. It seemed Lance wouldn't be having much luck with his "pretty Kitty" for a while. And in that time, Rogue thought with a devious smile, Kitty and Piotr could grow closer.

"Do Ah even wanna know what yo' goin' about, sugah?" Rogue asked a little too gleefully. Kitty, thankfully, didn't notice anything as she continued to rant on about Lance. Piotr shot her a look, however, which she cleverly avoided by sticking her head back in the refrigerator to look for more food, preferably gumbo.

"Lance, that great big jerk!" Kitty fumed. "He had cigarettes, _cigarettes_ in his pocket, and then he had the nerve to tell me he doesn't smoke! Can you believe that? He lied to my _face_!"

"Really?" Rogue asked, peeking over the fridge so only her eyes showed. It wouldn't do if either saw the beaming smile that had spread across her face. She expected Kitty to find the smokes and just ditch him then, but Lance "lying" to her face had only made it that much better! Especially since it wasn't part of the plan.

"Yes!" Kitty growled and slumped into a chair. She lowered her head as her shoulder drooped. "I thought even after the breakup and how rude he was to me, he could at least respect me enough to be _honest_!"

Piotr sat next to her and patted her shoulder comfortingly. Kitty smiled slightly at the large Russian, and he felt his cheeks grow red in embarrassment.

"If it is any consolation, Katya, I don't like smokers much either."

"Really?" this time it was Kitty whom was beaming. Piotr nodded and scrunched up his nose.

"I tried it once," he said, "it did not agree vith me."

"I'm glad _you_ can be honest, Pete!" Kitty said happily. Piotr blushed darker but returned her smile with one of his own. "I can't believe I ever trusted that great big jerk!"

"Do not be so hard on him," Piotr admonished. "Habits like that die hard, and they are not easily broken."

Kitty stared at Piotr in shock. Rogue gaped at him from behind the fridge, fighting the urge to pummel him for telling Kitty to forgive Lance. Didn't he realize she was doing this for him, for them? He and Kitty _belonged_ together, damn it! He couldn't go around trying to fix things when fate wanted them to be broken!

"Wow, Piotr!" Kitty gasped finally. "I had no idea you were so compassionate! I mean I did know you were understanding, but still! And to think, Lance has said all those mean things about you too! You know what, I think you're a much better man than he is!"

Nodding emphatically in agreement, Rogue grinned at the wide-eyed look on Piotr's face. The blush covering his cheeks now almost surpassed Jean's when she and Scott were her victims. Almost. The redhead still had that special red that only she seemed to be able to turn.

Kitty left for her room, still smiling. Piotr remained sitting, staring after her in wonder. He couldn't believe Kitty had just said he was the better man! It made him want to jump for joy, but he knew that would look silly, and besides, they weren't in a real relationship.

"Ow!" he yelped when Rogue punched his arm. He turned to stare at her questioningly. "What was that for!?"

"Sugah, let meh enlighten ya on th' American nature. When someone's tryin' t' set ya up with yo' dream gal, ya don't go tellin' 'em t' fo'give their ex!"

Piotr stared suspiciously at the woman. "Rogue, perhaps I am jumping to conclusions, but did you have anything to do vith Lance's cigarettes?"

"Eh..." Rogue turned away from him, blushing lightly. "Ah might've."

"Rogue!" Piotr exclaimed in shock. Rogue faced him again, crossing her arms over her chest and raising a brow.

"What? You cain't tell meh ya didn't enjoy her rantin' about ol' Lancey a li'l bit."

Piotr started to protest, but he snapped his mouth shut when he realized she was right. He _did_ enjoy hearing Kitty say mean things about her ex, and then compliment him and call _him_ the better man. It had made him feel good, hopeful even. Did that make him a bad man?

"Don't be so hard on yaself, Petey," Rogue said, hearing his thoughts. "It's human t' feel that way, an' th' last time Ah checked, even mutants like us were human. Though, Ah wouldn't ask a non-mutant that cuz ya nevah know what they might say."

"Thank you, Rogue," Piotr said softly. "You are a good friend."

"Yeah," Rogue smiled at him, then leaned in to whisper, "just don't go tellin' ev'ryone that. They might think Ah'm goin' soft!"

The Russian smiled and then left for his own room, leaving Rogue alone in the kitchen. Watching him leave, she sighed softly. One way or another, she was going to get those two together! But first, where was that gumbo?

&&&&&&

Scott startled when the frantic knocking started. He looked at his door bewilderedly, behind sunglasses of course, wondering who could possibly be coming to him at this time of the night. It had to be at least two in the morning, glancing at his clock he found it was 2:30am, and grumbled unintelligibly as he stumbled over to the door.

He half expected Rogue, or even Amara and Pyro to be there, but Kitty was definitely a surprise. He started to say something, closed his mouth, then opened it again. Kitty didn't give him time to talk before she was pushing her way into his room, however.

"Hi, Kitty, come on in," Scott said sarcastically to the air. He shut his door and turned to face the younger mutant. "Not that I don't love the company, Kitty, but _what_ are you doing here? Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"Uh..." Kitty looked at his clock, "it's 2:31 in the morning," she answered nonchalantly. "Scott, I need to talk to you!"

"It couldn't wait until morning?" he asked still half-asleep, even as he sat across from her on the bed and prepared himself for a talk.

"It is morning," Kitty pointed out. He glared at her, but with the sunglasses she could easily ignore it.

"Okay, later in the morning," Scott corrected.

"It's about Piotr and Lance," Kitty said quickly, realizing Scott wouldn't have too many qualms about kicking her out of his room. He was normally an understanding, sweet guy, but he also liked sleep and wasn't opposed to getting rid of whatever hindrance was keeping him from rest.

Scott's eyebrows raised and he sat a little straighter. Kitty smirked slightly. Somehow, she knew that would catch his attention.

"So, why come to me?" he asked, more awake now.

"Well, Jean is a really heavy sleeper, and I'm kinda afraid to try Rogue's or Amara's rooms." Kitty admitted with a light blush. Scott understood exactly what she meant and smiled sympathetically at her.

"Don't blame you," he said. "Don't blame you at all. So, what about them?"

"Well," Kitty sighed, "Piotr is such a sweetie, and this whole fake relationship thing is really great! Would be greater if it was real," she murmured softly, but Scott still heard her. "But Lance is a complete jerk! I was wondering...could you maybe, I don't want you to fight or anything, but keep him away for a while?"

"Gladly!" Scott said a little too happily. Kitty glanced uneasily at him.

"Remember, no fighting! I don't want you to get in trouble or anything."

"Of course not," Scott said, nodding. He smiled at her, but Kitty could tell he was slightly disappointed he wouldn't be getting to fight the Brotherhood leader. Their rivalry was almost worse than Evan and Pietro's! Almost.

"Thanks, Scott!" Kitty smiled and leaned over to kiss his cheek. "You're the best!"

"Ah, Kitty, flattery will get you everywhere." Scott chuckled and Kitty smiled as she bounced to the door, happy that her talk was over with. "Oh, and sorry about waking you up so late!"

"Don't worry about it," Scott said, waving it away. Kitty nodded and left, leaving behind a beaming Scott.

_Well? _Jean asked mentally, even her mind-voice groggy with sleep. Scott snuggled down in his bed, prepared to fall back asleep.

_I start playing bodyguard tomorrow. _He answered his girlfriend. He could practically see the worried look in her green eyes as she sat up in bed.

_Scott!_

_Don't worry, Jean, _he reassured the worried mutant, _I promise no unnecessary fighting._

Jean sighed deeply, both mentally and outwardly. Smiling slightly into the darkness of her room, she nodded her approval.

_Okay, just don't start anything that doesn't need to be started._

_I won't _Scott promised again.

_Love you_

_Love you too, Jean. G'night_

_Night_

As Scott felt his eyes droop again, he couldn't help but think tomorrow would certainly be interesting.


	12. Bodyguard

**Chapter 12**

Bodyguard

Just as Kitty suspected, Lance tried his hardest to get near her. She managed to evade him for the most part, and she knew a lot of the times was because of Scott playing bodyguard for her. He didn't hang around her all day, but he did keep a close eye on her and stayed nearby.

Lance meanwhile had a nagging suspicion Summers was purposely cornering him whenever he headed towards Kitty. Of course, each time the other senior seemed to have a reason for seeking him out, but Lance wasn't dumb. He knew Summers was smart, one of the smartest in the school, and he didn't really need help on homework he _knew_ Lance didn't do.

He also knew Summers couldn't possibly care less if Tabitha was looking for him, and wouldn't have informed him of as much if it meant Lance would get in trouble with his girlfriend. Yet, he had told him once today that Tabby was searching for him, and he wouldn't leave until Lance had gone to meet his girlfriend, grumbling curses under his breath the entire way.

Finding Tabby led to a pleasurable snogging session, but Lance's mind continually turned to Kitty. He had to win her back from that overgrown bastard! If he didn't, Lance wasn't sure what he would do. True, he didn't love Kitty, he hadn't known love enough in his life to know what it was, but he didn't like the thought of her belonging to another. She had been his first, before the Brotherhood and X-men ever came into their lives, and she would _stay_ his!

Currently, he was sitting in his fourth period, glaring at the back of Summers' head. It was one of the few classes they had together, and he absolutely hated it! It didn't take a genius to know Scott felt the same. No matter how far apart they sat, – Lance at the back of the far right, and Scott at the front of the left – it was still too close.

Scott could feel Lance's heated gaze on his head, and it took all his willpower not to smile. He stared straight ahead, feigning interest in the lecture their teacher was giving. In actuality, he'd heard a similar lecture at least three times in Hawaii, his old professor liked to repeat herself continuously, and had it so engraved he didn't need to hear it again.

He had a reputation to keep up though, and if he wanted to stay on Kelly's good side until graduation – he found staying on his good side kept the stuck-up man away – he needed to act like he was really interested. Besides, Scott felt that the best way to repay Professor Xavier was to make good grades. It wasn't like he could ever pay Xavier in money; no matter how long he worked, Scott doubted he would ever measure up to that kind of wealth. Not that the telepath would accept money anyway, since he felt it his duty to help young mutants.

Lance's eyes narrowed into slits as he glared at the studious boy. If looks could kill, Scott would have been buried at least twenty times already. Sadly, for him, they couldn't, so the X-man continued to stare obediently ahead and didn't pay any attention to the Brotherhood member drilling holes into the back of his skill with his gaze.

The bell rang, startling Lance from his daydreams of Summers' painful death at his hands, and he caught a quick smirk on the slightly taller male's face. He growled lowly, pulling his lips back in a snarl that sent several teens around him running out of the classroom. Something was definitely up, but no matter what Summers' _thought_ he could do, Lance _would _talk to Kitty. More importantly, he _would _make her his!

&&&&&&

Piotr stared at the lake. Silence surrounded him, giving him a sense of tranquility. It was nice to have once in a while, especially with all the noise usually surrounding the mansion. With the kids at school, Logan off on yet another find-himself adventure, and Rogue and Remy eating out, there was no one that particularly liked to be loud around.

Despite the niceness of the moment, Piotr found himself wishing Kitty were home already. He silently cursed himself for thinking along such lines. True, Rogue's words about how dating wasn't illegal ran through his mind constantly, but he still had morals and he didn't want to seem a pedophile or anything – not that it was pedophilia to like someone three years younger than you.

Kitty was just so young, and there was so much in the world she still hadn't seen! There was a lot Piotr hadn't seen as well, and to be honest, he wished for the day when he might travel to see more. That was why he'd agreed to come to Xavier's though he already had control over his powers. Being a farm boy, he didn't have enough money to travel, and he'd always wanted to come to America, ever since he took those English classes in school. It was the chance of a lifetime, and to make things better he would be helping people. What more could he really ask for?

Things had taken a surprising turn though, and Piotr wasn't altogether sure he disliked the change. When he agreed to play Kitty's boyfriend in front of Lance, he was pretty confident nothing would happen. He knew there was a line between them that shouldn't be crossed, and he was more than willing to stay on his side, no matter how much it hurt inwardly.

But it wasn't as easy as he thought. His thoughts constantly centered around the valley girl, so small in comparison to him. Frail, his first thought of her the first day he arrived had been that a wind could easily blow her away. And she wasn't as tough as Rogue, as smart as Jean, as free spirited as Jubilee, or as beautiful as Amara, but she had her own qualities that made her the most beautiful girl in the world to him.

He loved the way she would blush just as easily as Pyro would set something on fire. He loved that she was a vegetarian, and yet accepted that the others in the household ate meat and would continue to eat meat until they died. He loved that she was so understanding, and that she felt safe enough with him to confide things she wouldn't even tell _Jean_!

Maybe it made him selfish, but he hoped she never found someone else to share that secret information with. No matter how mundane it was, being her ears made him feel like he truly had a purpose. Piotr hadn't felt like that, truly felt like that, since Laynia.

Realizing the direction his thoughts were headed (again), Piotr stood and brushed the dry grass from the back of his pants. A quick glance at his watch told him he should be heading out soon; he had to pick up Kitty. A slight smile tugged at his lips at the thought, and though he would chastise himself for it later, Piotr couldn't help but feel eager to see her again.

There was just something about Kitty that sped his heart up. Something that made him want to give up his life if it meant keeping her safe forever. Though he didn't want to admit it, Piotr had the sneaking suspicion that this was what love felt like. _Real_ love.

A/N's:

Rather obvious that this was a filler chapter more than anything, I think. I planned to make it important to the story, but I got stuck about the third paragraph. So, it took me a while to even finish this much, and by then I was just ready to get it out of the way. Since I'm running out of ideas for this story, it will be winding to a close – don't worry, I do plan to finish it! I'm just going to wrap it up pretty soon. _Matchmaking_ is still a series, so no worries there either! I hope you enjoyed after that extended wait. Maybe the next chapter will come out sooner...maybe.


	13. Scene Two: At the Club

**Chapter 13**

Scene Two: At the Club

"So, what y' t'ink, _chere_?" Remy asked, wrapping an arm around Rogue's waist as he waved the four tickets in front of her face. She smiled brightly and kissed Remy.

"Ah think it's great, sugah!" she enthused, snatching the tickets from his hands. She placed them on top of the dresser and pulled her man closer. "This'll work great fo' our plan!"

Remy chuckled and nipped at Rogue's lower lip. "So, what Remy's reward, eh?"

"Hm...What does Remy want?" Rogue asked seductively. Remy smirked.

"I t'ink you know, _chere_."

They fell to the bed in a heap of limbs, kissing passionately. No one went near there room for quite some time.

&&&&&&

"How're we supposed ta trick them inta this again, love?" Pyro asked, quirking a brow. He looked at Amara, lying next to him with a satisfied grin.

"I dunno," Amara said with a shrug. Grinning, she rolled on top of the Australian, using her powers to raise her body temperature slightly. It always aroused John quicker when he knew fire was close to the surface. Sure enough, she could already feel something hard against her thigh. "We'll wing it, just like all the other times."

"Works for me!" John grinned brightly. He effectively pushed Amara off of him and rolled on her, making sure not to crush her under his body weight. "Now, how about an encore performance?"

"I thought you'd never ask!"

No one went near their room either.

&&&&&&

"So, what's next?" Jean asked, looking at Scott. "I mean Rogue said she had a great idea, but she hasn't told us anything yet!"

Scott shrugged. "It's nothin', I'm sure," he assured his girl. "Rogue's crazy, but she wouldn't do anything to intentionally hurt one of her teammates."

"Yeah..." Jean bit her lip in thought. Finally, she seemed to have come to a decision and smiled at her boyfriend. "I'll see you tonight, okay?" she asked, referring to their date. It was still a good four hours off, but she wanted to get a head start on getting ready.

"Sure thing," Scott agreed with a nod.

When Jean was out of the room, he breathed a sigh of relief. It had taken a lot of willpower to block Rogue's plans from his mind. He knew Jean would never forcefully take the knowledge from his mind, but it was better to be safe than sorry. Somehow, he highly doubted the redhead would stay quiet if she knew where Rogue planned to send Piotr and Kitty, which was exactly why the southerner had kept the information from Jean and made the others promise not to speak, or think, a word of it.

Who knew what she might do if she knew?

&&&&&&

Kitty stared speechlessly at the tickets dangled in front of her face. She couldn't believe what Rogue was offering Piotr and her. This was the chance of a lifetime!

"Are you serious?" she asked, looking skeptically at the smiling southerner. "The Blue Diamond?"

"Yup!" Rogue nodded proudly. "Swamp Rat an' Ah were gonna go, but th' professah had a mission fo' us. So, now Ah'm givin' em t' you!"

"Isn't zhat an eighteen years or older club?" Piotr asked skeptically.

"Twenty-one actually," Rogue muttered under her breath. "Don't worry sugah," she said louder, "Kitty ain't th' type t' drink, an' you'll be there t' stop her if she tries. Besides, ya cain't have a fun if ya nevah break th' rules!"

"How would I get in though?" Kitty raised a brow. "I like to think I look older, but I don't exactly look eighteen!"

"Psh." Rogue waved a hand in dismissal. "Ah know people there, an' they're just waitin' fo' ya'll t' show up. Don't worry 'bout it. Ah wouldn't let ya do somethin' if Ah thought it would hurt ya."

"That's true..." Kitty mused, thinking back to Rogue's many crazy schemes. No matter how insane, she usually made sure it was relatively safe for her teammates before going through with it. "Alright! This will be so cool, especially telling the girls at school! They'll never believe it!"

"Exactly!" Rogue enthused. Leaning down to the valley girl, she whispered: "Just don't tell Jeannie, alright?"

"Tch, like I would do that!" Kitty crossed her arms. "Jean's like my best friend, but even I break more rules than her!"

Rogue grinned at the girl's attitude. Maybe she wasn't so bad for a valley girl after all. Nodding once, she handed the tickets to the smaller mutant.

"I am not so sure this is a good idea," Piotr said, his accent thickening in worry. Kitty frowned at him, her eyes widening in the age-old puppy dog look. He frowned at the expression on her face, feeling his resolve weakening.

"Please, Pete!" Kitty begged. "This is, like, a once in a lifetime opportunity! I could be the coolest girl in school if I, like, go, and I want to go with you!"

A blush spread across the Russian's dark cheeks. He sighed and hung his head in defeat. Kitty squealed happily and threw her arms around his thick neck.

"Thank-you-thank-you-thank-you!" she trilled. "Oh, I'm gonna go pick out for my outfit right now!"

She ran up the stairs. Before Piotr could lecture Rogue about being irresponsible for giving club tickets to a fifteen year old, she followed her younger teammate up the stairs.

"Hold up, sug, Ah'll help ya!"

Piotr hung his head. He had a bad feeling about this. But what could he do? Not even _Logan_ could resist Kitty's puppy-dog eyes!

"I might as vell also get ready."

&&&&&&

Piotr still felt uneasy as he walked into the club. It wasn't that he had _never _been to a club before, at least he had been in Russia, but he didn't like them very much. It was too noisy for him, and he much preferred the noises of animals on his farm rather than people.

He wrapped an arm around Kitty subconsciously as he noticed several men, at least twenty-five, eyeing her hungrily. True, she didn't look twenty-one, or even a day over sixteen if even that naturally, but Rogue's helping hand in choosing her outfit had made her look like a petite, pretty eighteen year old at least. Piotr admitted to himself that the clothing did look good, possibly even better than the pastel colors she normally wore, but he would prefer her to be in the bright pink sweater and yellow shirt than in the mid-thigh length emerald dress and knee-length black boots Rogue had given her.

Kitty blushed when Piotr's arm wrapped around her. She didn't notice the guys looking at her, but she could feel the stares on her back, and it was quite frankly making her uneasy. However, she was happy to be here and didn't plan on leaving anytime soon. No, she would have something to brag about tomorrow! Something that would get those girls who thought she would never do anything remotely dangerous off her back!

"What shall we do, Katya?" Piotr asked. He wanted her to make the choices, because frankly he had no idea. If she chose to drink though, he would quickly deter her back to the motorcycle. Rather or not she ever talked to him again after didn't matter, but she would not be getting drunk on his watch! Not this sweet, little Kitten.

"How about dancing?" Kitty suggested happily. The people on the dance floor were mostly grinding, practically having sex right there, which brought a blush to her face. A few reserved, very few, couples were dancing like she normally would. She had seen Piotr dance and knew he was good, despite his large size, so she had no worries about having her toes stepped on.

"Alright," Piotr agreed, looking even more uncomfortable. He sighed in relief when Kitty led him to the dance floor and didn't immediately jump on him. Honestly, didn't these people have more modesty? It was really quite scary for a farm boy.

"Can you believe someone just left us tickets!?" a familiar voice shrieked, not far from Kitty and Piotr. They turned as one to see Tabitha dancing extremely close to Lance. He looked annoyed, but that was not enough to mask the lust in his eyes as she grinded against him seductively.

Kitty gasped in disgust at the sight. No wonder Lance didn't think she was bad enough. If she had been here with him, she _never_ would have danced like _that_ with him! Nor would she have worn the extremely skimpy pink dress Tabby adorned. It showed more skin than it covered, and she was pretty sure a moth-eaten rag had more material in it than Tabitha's dress.

The X-girl jumped when a large hand landed on her shoulder. She turned to see Piotr shooting her a sympathetic smile. Remembering she was here with him and not Lance, they were _so _over, she returned the smile and wrapped her arms around his neck. The music had slowed, and most of the couples, those that hadn't left the dance floor for another beer anyway, got into similar dancing positions. At least this type of dancing had not become sex-on-a-dance-floor yet.

Piotr's large hands felt good on her waist, comforting and supportive. Kitty felt all her tensions and fears drift away as he held her close to him. Piotr was like a protector, keeping all the bad things away. She couldn't help glancing at him with adoring eyes, and a blush spread across her face when she realized he too was looking at her.

Spotted watching his Katya with such loving eyes, Piotr also blushed. He noticed the look in her blue gaze, however, and felt his heart rate increase at her expression. Katya really was beautiful, and when she looked so happy, she was even more beautiful to him.

Lance glanced over to his right, feeling something off in the club. His eyes narrowed in on the small girl in the Russian's arms. His lips pulled back in a snarl, and he barely paid attention to Tabitha breathing on his ear. No amount of flirting could take his attention from his ex-girlfriend in the arms of her new beau.

Sensing eyes on her, Kitty looked up and over at Lance. A scowl spread across her pretty features, and Lance smirked now that her attention was on him. He had the perfect idea to prove she was still jealous and wanted him more than Colossus.

He swung Tabby back in his arms and kissed her thoroughly. A loud gasp tore from Kitty's throat, and somehow Lance heard it over the loud music. He looked up in time to see the green-clad girl flee from the room. Piotr glared hatefully at him, which made Lance flinch in shock and fear – the X-man really was quite intimidating. His smirk returned when the Russian followed the girl. She would spill her heart out to him now, he would get upset, they would fight, and by tomorrow Lance would have Kitty back in his arms.

Kitty saw the kiss and felt her heart break. She wasn't sure why though, since she was pretty sure she had gotten over Lance. After the initial shock wore off, she realized tears were streaming down her face. Turning away from the startled Piotr, she fled from the room. She could almost feel Lance's smirk burning into her back, and she felt hatred like she had never known form in her stomach. It soon passed, however, when she realized she had now made Piotr think she was still hung up on Lance.

"I'm such an idiot," she moaned into her hands, when she had gotten away from the club and was in a nearby alley. It was dangerous, yes, but she really couldn't find it in herself to care at the moment.

"No, you are not, Katya," Piotr's deep voice rumbled. Kitty jumped, having not noticed him following her. Piotr could be extremely quiet for a giant that turned his body into metal. She sniffled and looked up at him, half expecting to see a look of disgust on his face.

She immediately felt silly for expecting such a thing when she saw nothing but understanding in his gaze. Piotr really was too kind sometimes.

"I shouldn't be so upset that they kissed!" Kitty exclaimed. "I thought I was over him, but seeing them...like that...it broke my heart!"

"That is only natural," Piotr informed her, sitting across from her. "I am pretty sure that love does not end in just a few veeks, Katya. It has been a few years since Laynia and I were together, and though my life is no longer centered around her, I feel my heart clench vhenever I picture her vith another man."

"Really?" Kitty asked. Piotr nodded.

She smiled slightly, feeling a bit better knowing that. To her surprise, no jealousy formed at the thought of Piotr with another woman. She knew she really liked him, but she also knew Laynia was in the past and he would not moon over her forever. With Lance, just seeing him talking to another girl, even _Wanda_, made her jealousy vibes flare up in protest!

"My mother always told me that if I really loved someone, I would feel no jealousy," she whispered so quietly Piotr wasn't sure at first if she had spoken.

"But you do vith Lance?" Piotr stated more than asked.

"But I do with Lance," Kitty confirmed with a nod.

"And vith me?" Piotr braved. His face flushed crimson as he silently chastised himself for being so bold. What had given him the audacity to ask such a question?

Kitty's face also flushed, but she smiled slightly. "You know," she mumbled, "I don't feel any jealousy. I...I know I can trust you always."

"You couldn't trust Lance?"

"Yes! Of course I...no," Kitty sighed. "If I could trust him, I wouldn't have been dumped because I wasn't 'bad enough'!"

"I see." Piotr knew it was a bad time, but he couldn't help smiling at the knowledge Kitty trusted him. Before he could lose his courage, the large Russian leaned over and pressed his lips to hers. He had finally come to a decision. Law or no, he would at least give Kitty a kiss. She could always reject him if she wanted, and he wasn't about to try anything with her, but he had been holding back long enough.

Kitty sat stock-still for several seconds. Her eyes widened as she realized what was happening, and just as Piotr started to pull back in embarrassment, she responded. The kiss wasn't very long, not even a full minute altogether, but when they parted, Kitty was panting as though she hadn't breathed in years. Piotr also seemed to have lost his breath at the contact.

"Wow," Kitty murmured.

"Hm." Piotr agreed with a nod. The two shared a look, a slow smile spreading across their faces.

"Does this mean..." Kitty trailed off unsurely.

"It means vhatever you vish for it to mean, Katya," Piotr told her. Kitty's smile widened.

"Well," she twiddled her thumbs, "I kinda want it to mean you'll take me out on a real, not-set-up-by-Rogue date this Friday..."

"Eight is okay, yes?" Piotr asked quickly, smiling and blushing. Kitty chuckled lightly, her smile steadily growing.

"Eight is perfect."

A/N's:

Two chapters in one day! I figure you all deserve it for waiting so long for chapter 12. If I finish the next chapter today, I'll also post that one in thanks for being so patient and staying with me! As it is, I'll at least start it today.

I'm sorry if this wasn't very good; being a Lancitty shipper for Evo, the club scene was really hard for me to write, but I managed it! Hope ya like!


	14. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Kitty smiled as she headed for the exit of the school. All day she had been trying to catch Lance alone, but so far she hadn't seen the Brotherhood co-leader. It frustrated her somewhat that she couldn't catch him and the day was already over, but every time she began to feel annoyed she remembered _why_ she was looking for him and would smile brightly.

A flash of brown caught her attention, and Kitty turned to see Lance leaning against the grey lockers. A toothpick was present in his mouth as he glared at a few ambling students. He hadn't noticed her yet, which was all the better for Kitty. She wanted to get this said and done with, and the best way to not be drawn into an unwanted argument, cleverly disguised as a discussion (note the sarcasm), was to catch Lance by surprise.

"Lance!" Kitty called, walking up to him. He jumped slightly, though it was quickly hid behind a cool expression, and she had to giggle inwardly at the sight. She couldn't believe she once would have swooned at that look on his face, when now it only seemed pathetic that he would hide his true feelings. Piotr wouldn't hide anything. If he was startled, he would gladly show it, unless they were on a mission or in the Danger Room, but those were exceptions.

"Kitty?" Lance asked, trying to confirm that this wasn't a dream. Kitty nodded.

"Look, don't talk, I just, like, wanted to say this..." Kitty took a deep breath, "Lance, thank you. For everything."

"Huh?" Lance blinked in confusion. He couldn't quite find it in himself to say something more than that. Kitty smiled nonetheless.

"If it hadn't been for you dumping me, I never would have bonded with Piotr like I did. So, again, thanks! I'm happy now, and it really is all because of you. Well, I have to go now, Piotr's waiting for me outside, but I just wanted to say that. Have fun with Tabby," she called, walking away from the fuming mutant, "I'm happy for you guys. Really."

The worst part of that, Lance thought as he stalked after the girl, was that she meant it. She truly wasn't upset over him anymore, and he didn't like that one little bit.

"Kitty!" he yelled, but the valley girl never turned around. In fact, when he finally made it outside, she was already on the back of Colossus' motorcycle with the helmet on. The Russian turned to him, having heard his cry, and did something very out of character for him. He smirked. The ultimate sign that he now had Kitty, and somehow Lance knew he didn't plan to let her go.

"Ready, Katya?" he asked his girlfriend.

"Yup!" Kitty chirped, squeezing his waist tightly. She'd be damned if she fell off this thing!

"Then, it is home we go!"

&&&&&&

"Guys, guess what!" Scott shouted happily as he ran through the mansion. Jean was hot on his heels, an equally wide smile on her flawless face.

"What is it now?" Amara asked, stomping out of Pyro's room. The pyromaniac soon followed, an irritated look on his face and his hair was more than a little mussed.

"You'll never guess what happened today!" Jean exclaimed before Scott could get a word in edgewise. "Kitty told Lance quote-unquote "thanks for helping me see that Piotr was the only one for me!" Then, she just walked off with this in-love smile on her face, and now she's with Piotr on the way home! I can't tell you how many speed limits Scott broke just to get here before them, but it was worth it!"

Rogue irked a brow at the seemingly hyperactive redhead. She had never seen Jean so excited before. It was actually quite funny, but she was more interested in getting her to slow down in her explanation.

"Slow down, sugah!" Rogue soothed. "Now, say that again, but slower this time. We wanna know what yo' sayin'!"

This time it was Scott that spoke, summarizing Jean's long explanation. "Kitty is officially with Piotr."

"I knew it would happen!" Amara shrieked with glee, punching a fist in the air. She and Rogue began to laugh and spin around, but the princess quickly calmed when she saw the expression on John's face. "What's wrong, my sweet fire-starter?"

"I thought we were s'posed ta have some fun with this relationship!" John whined. "We didn't get ta set anythin' on fire!"

"Hey, you're right!" Amara exclaimed, pouting. "That isn't right, Rogue! We should get to burn something."

"Well, what're ya goin' t' burn, sugah?" Rogue asked with an arched brow. "Th' relationship's already off th' ground apparently."

"I've got an idea," Scott said evilly. Jean frowned at his sudden mood change, not sure she liked the evil grin on her boyfriend's face. Pyro arched a brow, clearly interested in what the Boy Scout had to say. "Lance really was a bit of a jerk to Kitty, and even if it _did_ get Piotr and Kitty together--"

"Scott, no!" Jean exclaimed, realizing what he was suggesting. It was too late though. Amara and John had already figured out his plan, and they were sharing evil grins themselves. It couldn't hurt to pay the Boarding House, more specifically Lance's room, a little visit.

The door opened before Scott could defend his plan, and Kitty walked in holding hands with Piotr. The matchmakers smiled as the couple stared lovingly into each other's eyes and walked past them without even noticing the others presence. That was devotion right there!

"Looks like this is anothah matchmakin' success, ya'll!"

Scott raised a single brow as he stared at Rogue. "Was there ever any doubt?"

"Not really, no."

"That's what I thought."

"Hey," Jean said suddenly, looking around. "Where did Pyro and Magma go?"

A shared look, and it wasn't hard to figure out where the two fire mutants had gone. Looked like the Boarding House would be getting two guests soon, two very insane guests. Scott snickered as Jean scowled.

"Scott, I can't believe you suggested that to them!" she yelled, running up the stairs.

"Jean, wait, I'm sorry!" Scott called after her. Even as he ran up the stairs, begging her to forgive him, it was obvious to anyone within hearing distance he wasn't sorry. Nope, not sorry at all.

END!

A/N's:

Yes, you read right. This is the last chapter; you've officially finished Part 2 in the Matchmaking series. I do hope it doesn't seem like I rushed this though. Stay tuned for Part 3 in the Matchmaking series!

Also, a little secret, the whole 'not bad enough' thing was actually what happened to a friend of mine. Her boyfriend, who was also a friend, broke up with her because she wasn't a "bad girl". Let's just say, his next girlfriend dumped his sorry ass for someone better, and now both girls are in steady relationships.

NEXT UP:

**Matchmaking: Storm and Wolverine**

Summary: Part 3 in the series! For once jealousy isn't the problem. It's a matter of getting Wolverine to admit he's in love, and Storm to admit even savages have hearts. This could prove to be the hardest mission yet for our matchmakers.


End file.
